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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26902492">A Fire Inside</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireThatFox/pseuds/FireThatFox'>FireThatFox</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drunkeness, Dubious Consent, F/M, Fugaku isn't an ass and respects his wife and women in general, Kinda Crack, Madara won't take no for an answer, Modern AU, Sakura Centric per usual, Sakura Harem, Sakura and Izuna are eternal rivals!, Sakura and the men who chase her, So don't think too hard okay, The Game Is Afoot, Was a one shot but uh now is more, fast burn, it's all about losing control, mastermind Mikoto, remember the crack and the stalking?, seriously, this is just for fun, this is not serious</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:13:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,384</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26902492</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireThatFox/pseuds/FireThatFox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Itachi has been gone for a long time.</p><p>Sakura and Sasuke haven't been a couple for over six years.</p><p>Mikoto just wants one of them to marry Sakura, she doesn't care which one.</p><p>...but Tobirama Senju might throw a wrench into all of their plans, or will it be one of their own...perhaps Shisui?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Haruno Sakura &amp; Senju Tobirama, Haruno Sakura &amp; Uchiha Itachi, Haruno Sakura &amp; Uchiha Madara, Haruno Sakura &amp; Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura &amp; Uchiha Shisui, Haruno Sakura/Senju Tobirama, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Madara, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Shisui</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>257</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>487</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Typos, took an hour to write, will edit later.  Will add maybe who knows when.</p><p>I don't know, this might be fluffy...until I have a bad day at work and kill everyone with a comet or something...</p><p>it's hard to say...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been such a long night, long day and she just wanted to go home, roll up into her fluffiest most favorite blanket...and pass out.</p><p>Instead…</p><p>Sakura Haruno, the star surgeon of Konoha Hospital, had just rear-ended the car in front of her.  The really black, really sleek and expensive-looking car.</p><p>“Shit.”  She let her head fall forward and onto her steering wheel.  “HONK!”</p><p>“Ugh.”  She thought...this might be the worst moment of her life.</p><p>No, the worst moment fo her life had been when she had gotten drunk at one of her best friend’s houses at thier college graduation party and had hit on his Uncle Madara, who had almost...almost taken her up on her embarrassing proposal to make out in the library.</p><p>With a tremendous effort, she opened her door and stepped out of her clunky sedan to exchange insurance information with the...Sakura paused, one hand on the door.  “Wow.”  She muttered.</p><p>The man she had rear-ended was just as sleek looking as the vehicle he drove.  Long midnight black hair, sharp eye brows that arched ever so slightly, smooth pale skin and eyes that...made her think of obsidian in the moonlight.</p><p>Sakura shook her head.  She must have fallen asleep again, she must be dreaming only...Sasuke or Madara Uchiha was ‘this’ good looking.</p><p>“Of course I had to rear end, him…”  She muttered as she walked halfway in between her vehicle and his.</p><p>Itachi looked the woman up and down as he walked toward her.  It had been his fault, he had braked without notice, almost rear-ending the car in front of him not giving the woman enough time to stop.  He had been about to apologize but had been caught off guard...it was her hair.  It was pink.</p><p>She looked tired.  Itachi took in the lopsided and hastily buttoned overcoat, one of her shoes were untied and her hair...her pastel pink hair was...tangled down the right side of her face.  He smiled.</p><p>“Here.”  Sakura stuck her hand out in front of her with her insurance information and phone number on it.  “Give me yours and we can move out of the way of the other vehicles.”</p><p>Itachi nodded, reaching into his suit pocket and pulling his business card out.  “I don’t have my insurance information on me, but here is my card.  I will get it to you as soon as I get to my family’s home.”</p><p>Sakura nodded.  She had hit him, if he wasn’t worried about getting the correct information from her, she wasn’t either.  “Sounds good.”  </p><p>Itachi smiled as Sakura pushed her tangled hair back from her face, turned without looking at his card and walked back to her vehicle, got in, and closed the door.  Itachi stood there for a moment, he had wanted to...he wasn’t sure what he had wanted to do only...it didn’t matter, he too turned and walked back to his vehicle.</p><p>He had her information, perhaps he could call her later...or not.</p><p>Sakura pushed her front door open and nearly fell over the threshold.  “Ugh.”  She groaned, kicking her shoes off, dropping her bags to the floor without remorse, and trudged up her stairs to her bedroom without locking the door behind her.</p><p>Five hours later…</p><p>RING RING RING</p><p>“Ello?”  Sakura spoke half into the phone, half into her blanket.</p><p>“You’re late.”  Sasuke’s voice came to her from far away.</p><p>“Eh?”  She rolled over in her bed, her eyes still closed.</p><p>“The dinner to welcome my brother home started at 8 pm Sakura.”  Sasuke was annoyed, she could tell.</p><p>“Oh shit, I’m so sorry, I fell asleep as soon as I got home!  I’ll get dressed and be over soon.”  She hopped out of bed pulling at her clothes as she moved across her room to open her closet.</p><p>“I’m outside your front door...Sakura, did you know your front door was open?”  He hung up on her, she could hear him walking up the stairs and pulled her shirt off over her head, grabbing a nicer black shirt.</p><p>“Sakura…”  Sasuke stopped in the doorway to her bedroom and watched her struggle to pull her shirt on over her head.  “You’re hopeless.  I can’t believe you’re a surgeon sometimes, you’re so clumsy.”</p><p>Sasuke tsked and walked over to help her with her shirt.  After he had pulled her shirt down over her head he started to unbutton her pants making her squeak in surprise.</p><p>“What?”  He smirked.  “It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before, we dated for two years.”</p><p>“I know but, it’s different now Sasuke.”  Sakura blushed, pulling and turning away from him.  “I’ll be right out.”  She shut the door to her closet, shoved her pants down, and pulled up a short red skirt that she had grabbed from a hanger on the left.</p><p>“Leave your hair down.”  Sasuke watched her emerge from the closet, his eyes falling tho the rather, inadequate hem of her skirt.  “That’s a little short don’t you think?”</p><p>“Uh, maybe, yeah give me a minute, and I’ll…”  Sasuke pulled her back from her closet.</p><p>“No time, it’s fine, lets go, here.”  He handed her a brush and nearly pulled her out the door behind him.  “Don’t forget to lock your door, I’ll drive, you look tired, you don’t want to get into a car accident.”</p><p>“Shit.”  She pulled her hand from his grasp.  “That reminds me, uh, I kinda did get into an accident on the way home, I rear-ended someone and…”</p><p>“Really?”  Sasuke paused.  “Someone rear-ended Itachi on the way to the house today.”  He shrugged and opened the door to his car for her.</p><p>The drive to the Uchiha manor was a short one.  Sakura noticed that there were quite a few cars there, far more than she had expected.</p><p>“Sasuke, why are there so many people here?  I thought that I thought it was just a family dinner for your brother Itachi?”  There must have been over fifteen cars parked up and down the Uchiha manor’s main house.</p><p>“Am I, dressed okay?”  She looked down at her simple black shirt and red skirt that Sasuke had thought was too short.</p><p>“Hn.”  Sasuke pulled into the family garage, parking his car on the end.</p><p>“Don’t Hn, me.  Do you think your mom could lend me something if…”  She began to fuss at her top pulling and smoothing it at the same time?</p><p>“Stop Sakura, you look fine, you always look fine,”  Sasuke said with uncharacteristic flattery.</p><p>Sakura blinked.  It had been over six years since they had dated.  They had been high school sweethearts but after she had thrown herself into med school and he had gone into law, they had drifted apart.  Not out of lack of affection but time, they didn’t have time for a relationship, either one of them and they had drifted apart.  </p><p>Only in the last few months had they started reconnecting.  Sakura didn’t know exactly where they stood with one another.  They weren’t dating but they weren’t, not dating either.  They really needed to have a talk, but now, wasn’t the time.</p><p>Sasuke pushed the side door to the main house open and stepped inside.</p><p>“Sakura dear, so good fo you to come!  I told Sasuke not to bother you if you were tired dear.  Kami knows how hard you work child.”  Mikoto Uchiha walked toward them quickly, giving Sakura a half armed hug, mixing bowl in the other arm, and then hugged her son.</p><p>“Mom, why are you cooking, we have cooks and maids for that.”  Sasuke took the bowl from his mother and handed it off to a passing maid.</p><p>“Now now Sasuke, just because I don’t have to cook doesn’t mean I don’t want to cook.”  Mikoto smiled fondly at her youngest son.</p><p>“Right, well anyway, Sakura wants to know if she can borrow a dress, she just got home from work and fell asleep and forgot about coming over for dinner.”  Sasuke tattled on Sakura who hit him behind his mother’s turned back, glaring daggers at him making him smirk even more at her.</p><p>“Of course my dear!  Let’s go get you dressed, not to worry, Itachi isn’t even down yet, something about insurance papers or whatnot.”  Mikoto waved her hand at Sasuke.  “Go tell your father I am helping Sakura get dressed and will be out in a moment.”</p><p>“Mikoto please,”  Sakura protested.  “This isn’t necessary, really.”</p><p>“Not to worry dear, I have the perfect dress.”  Mikoto shushed her with a mother’s smile and lead her down the hall to her bed-chamber.</p><p>An hour later, Sakura stepped out of Mikoto’s rooms in a shiny, sleek little black dress, her hair piled up high at the crown of her head, curled and falling down her back in an artistic knot.  She felt ridiculous and highly suspected that Mikoto had bought this dress fro her specifically...it fit too well.</p><p>It had always been like this.  Mikoto had gotten it into her mind six years ago that she and Sasuke were meant to be.  “A surgeon and a lawyer!”  She used to coo at them, making them laugh and roll their eyes at one another.</p><p>“Yes, I can botch a surgery and Sasuke can represent me in a court of law.”  Sakura would joke.</p><p>“Exactly.”  Fugaku Sasuke’s father used to cross his arms over his chest and nodd his head making Sasuke and Sakura roll their eyes even more.</p><p>Sasuke was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.  He watched her walk beside his mother and thought she had never looked more beautiful.  This time...he wasn’t going to let her get away, this time, he wasn’t going to let her go.  It had been a mistake.  Thank kami she hadn’t found someone else.  Thank kami she was still single.</p><p>Mikoto cast her youngest son a knowing smile.  Those two kids, when would they see, they were meant for one another.  There was no one better suited for Sasuke than Sakura Haruno.  Mikoto watched her son watch the pink-haired woman walk toward him...he was clearly smitten.  “To be young again.”  Mikoto smiled.</p><p>“What?”  Sakura asked.</p><p>“Nothing dear, there’s Sasuke, go on, you two have a good time.  Dinner should be served soon.  Don’t forget to say hello to Itachi.  It’s been ages since you’ve seen him.”  Mikoto pushed Sakura gently in the small of her back, smiled as she stumbled forward into Sasuke arms.</p><p>Itachi tapped the two pages of his insurance and contact information into alignment, folded it, then slipped it into an envelope.  He would mail it, after dinner.  He sighed, he hadn’t asked for this dinner, he hadn’t wanted it.  He wasn’t even hungry.  Itachi yawned.  All he wanted to do was read a book and maybe go to bed early.</p><p>With a ragged sigh, he rose, placed the envelope in his suit pocket, and opened the door to his old bedroom.  He supposed, he should make an appearance.  It was his dinner, after all.</p><p>There were too many people here.  He didn’t even know half of them.  Slowly he walked down the stairs into the main foyer.  Sasuke was at one of the refreshment table, he would talk to him…</p><p>As Itachi approached the table and his brother he noticed a flash of bight color in the sea of dark suits, dark dresses, and dark Uchiha hair...pink.  He stopped mid-step on the stairs, it was her, it was that woman who had…</p><p>Sakura felt eye on her, turned her head to the left, then the right...where was Sasuke, he had gone to get them drinks and…</p><p>Green eyes looked up into obsidian black...it was him, that man whom she had…</p><p>“Sakura?  Is everything okay?”  Sasuke handed her a flute of champaign, following her eyes to the stairs where Itachi was standing, staring back at Sakura.</p><p>“Do you...remember my brother Itachi?”  Sasuke didn’t like the way Sakura was looking at Itachi and he didn’t like the way Itachi...was looking at Sakura.</p><p>“Uh, no but…”  Sakura licked her lips, Itachi was moving down the stairs, toward them.  “I kinda rear-ended him on the way home from work today.”</p><p>“What?”  Sasuke asked as Itachi stepped up beside him, his eyes on Sakura, and bowed correctly.</p><p>“The fault was mine, allow me to apologize...Sakura.”  Itachi lifted her hand up from her side with his and kissed her knuckles briefly.  “It’s been a long time.  You’ve...grown a bit.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for typos. Will fix this weekend</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sakura’s mouth hung open slightly, making Itachi smile.  He hadn’t recognized her earlier that day when she had rear ended him but he should have…the pink hair.  Her mouth was opening and closing slightly, her cheeks were tinged a beautiful pink.  He smirked.</p><p>“You…uh are the one who hit Itachi?”  Sasuke asked.</p><p>“Sakura is the one who hit you?”  He asked his brother.</p><p>Sakura snapped her mouth shut…yeah…today was the worst day of her life, not the time she had asked Madara Uchiha to make out with her in the Uchiha library.</p><p>“It was my fault.  I had braked suddenly.  Sakura was not allowed enough reaction time suitable to avoid hitting me.”  Itachi inclined his head gracefully to the woman.</p><p>“I…”  Sakura stammered.  “I didn’t recognize you.”  She ended lamely.</p><p>“I’m not surprised, it’s been quite some time.  You look wonderful, Sakura.”  Itachi still had her hand in his.</p><p>Sakura tried halfheartedly to pull her hand from Itachi’s but he tightened his grasp effortlessly.  Sasuke narrowed his eyes.</p><p>“You look tired.  I hope you didn’t force yourself to come to this boring dinner only for my sake.”  Itachi squeezed her hand and reluctantly let it go.</p><p>Sakura smoothed her knuckles over where his lips had been, blushing further…his lips had been so warm, so soft.  “I, uh no…”  She stammered again making Sasuke fidget beside her.</p><p>“We need to say hello to father.”  Sasuke grabbed Sakura’s arm and pulled her away from his brother.</p><p>“Of course,…Sasuke.”  Itachi’s eyes never left Sakura’s as his little brother turned the woman and pulled her away from him.  “Perhaps, tonight won’t be a complete waste of time.”  Itachi watched them move across the room toward his mother and father, who were speaking to their uncle Madara.</p><p>“What the hell was that Sakura?  Why were you flirting with my brother?”  Sasuke hissed in her ear as the y continued to make their way across the room to his parents.</p><p>“Excuse me?  I was not flirting with Itachi Sasuke.”  Sakura blushed again, making Sasuke hiss and spit even more as they stopped before his parents and his uncle Madara who raise a perfectly manicured brow at the pinkkete.</p><p>“Flirting with whom?”  Madara asked in his smooth deep voice.</p><p>“Itachi, Sakura was the one who rear ended Itachi on his way home today, and she was just flirting with him in front of me.”  Sasuke sounded like a child, he knew that, but he didn’t care.  His face flushed slightly in embarrassment as his uncle gave him a pitying look.</p><p>“Perhaps, you ought not to have let her go then.”  Madara took a sip from his tumbler, looking at his nephew with an annoying calm sort of placation.</p><p>“I didn’t let her go we just, kind a drifted apart.”  Sasuke tried to defend himself, unsuccessfully.</p><p>“Hn.”  Madara looked away, losing interest.</p><p>“Sasuke dear, don’t get so upset.  I’m sure Itachi was only happy to see Sakura again.  I’ve been keeping him up to date with her progress at the hospital since he’s been gone.”  Mikoto stepped into the conversation.</p><p>“Why would you do that?”  He asked annoyed.</p><p>“Sasuke, Sakura is like family.  Just because it didn’t work out between you doesn’t mean the rest of the family doesn’t want to know what she has been up to and what she is doing with her life.”  Mikoto smiled into her drink.  One of her sons would marry the girl, she didn’t care which one but she wanted Sakura as a daughter in law…ever since her and Sasuke had become friends at the academy when they were 12 years old.  Her silly son wasn’t going to ruin this for her if she had anything to say about it.</p><p>Fugaku eyed his wife appreciatively.  Mikoto was hard at work.  He smiled to himself, his sons were out of their league, his wife wasn’t only beautiful but canny.  One of them would be married to the girl, they just didn’t know it yet.  He wondered, which one it would be.</p><p>Madara was right, Sasuke had his chance and blew it.  Clearly Sakura was not in the same place, emotionally as his youngest.  Itachi on the other hand, had never shown any interest in women, much less Sakura but…it had been quite some time since they had seen one another…perhaps.</p><p>“Ah, Itachi.”  Fugaku smiled slowly at his eldest son.  “I take it you’ve mailed out your information to the woman who hit you?”</p><p>Sakura made a small indistinct noise in the back of her throat, drawing both Mikoto and Madara’s attention to her.</p><p>“Not yet.”  Itachi smiled smoothly at Sakura.  “However.”  He pulled the envelope form his suit coat pocket and handed it to Sakura.</p><p>“Now, I have.”  Itachi watched the subtle flush rise from Sakura’s chest to cover her cheeks.  “If you need anything else, you have my card.”  He turned on his heel and walked across the room, and out the door.</p><p>“You were the woman who rear ended Itachi?”  Mikoto’s eye danced with delight.  This was too good to be true.</p><p>“It was an accident, I was so tired and …”  Sakura trailed off, her eyes on the floor.</p><p>“No matter.  I’ll have Obito take a look at both of your cars.  We’ll have them taken care of this weekend my dear.”  Madara gave Sakura a quick once over, a smirk and a knowing smile before he too turned, and left Sasuke and Sakura with Mikoto and Fugaku.</p><p>“See.”  Mikoto smiled at Sakura and laid a hand on her shoulder.  “No harm done dear.”</p><p>“Thanks.”  Sakura took a drink of her champaign avoiding their eyes.  “I suppose it was a good thing it was Itachi and not someone else that I rear ended.”</p><p>“Yes dear.”  Mikoto smiled a bit too charmingly for Sakura’s taste.  “Everything happens for a reason.”</p><p>“Hn.”  Fugaku brought his own glass to his lips and drank.</p><p>Itachi watched Sakura and his brother from the side door.  They still seemed to be on very good terms with one another but not…a couple.  His mother had told him they had broken up near on six years ago and he wondered what sort of relationship they had with one another.</p><p>He knew Sakura found him attractive, the remaining blush on her cheeks gave her away, just as he knew his little brother had noticed their ‘mutual’ attraction as well.  He saw no reason to hide it from Sasuke.  He wasn’t dating the woman anymore and if he was foolish enough to have let her go in the first place…he deserved what he got. </p><p>It had been a difficult decision whether or not he should return to Konoha.  There weren’t many choices for him, being an Uchiha if he wished to remain in the family business, however, now, after reacquainting himself with Sakura…he knew he had made the right decision.</p><p>The last time he had seen her had been at Sasuke college graduation party.  She had gotten too drunk and had ended up in the library with their uncle Madara.  Itachi still wasn’t sure how it had happened but it had ended with the girl crying, Sasuke yelling and their uncle looking on in an irritated sort of display of…disappointment.</p><p>Itachi’s eyes swept around the room.  Yes, his uncle was also watching the woman.  Interesting.  Did she know, Itachi wondered, what it was like to be stalked by the Uchiha?  She had been friends with Sasuke since their academy days…probably.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Moving this right along, fast burn cause fire is pretty.</p><p> </p><p>Sorry to those of you who read this when I first posted chapter 3.  I forgot to add on a third of the chapter by mistake.  If you already read the previous post, please start reading after the   ***   .</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The table was laid out in a beautiful display of culinary artistic masterpiece per Mikoto’s usual standard.  It had been some time since Sakura had attended one of the Uchiha functions.  Her hectic schedule at the hospital allowed her very little personal time.  </p><p>What little time she did have to herself, she spent either reading or spending time with her best friend Ino.  Her and Sasuke had gotten back in touch just recently, but they hadn’t had time in both of their busy schedules to see much of one another.  Three dinners in the last three months and one movie night, with their other friend, Naruto Uzumaki, was all they had time for.</p><p>Sakura waited with the other guests as the Master Chef explained the delicacies before them, how they were prepared, what ingredients were used, and basically why it was so much better than the multi mart food you could buy on every corner.</p><p>Sakura’s mouth twitched...multi mart food, that was the only food she had time to buy for herself lately.  Her mouth began to water as the Chef droned on and on...she just wanted to eat.  As the pretentious Chef continued to explain his dishes and why they were so great, her eyes began to wander around the table, surveying, observing, and taking in the general appearance and attendance of her fellow diners.</p><p>Sasuke was beside her of course, some nameless cousin to the right of him and so on and so forth until she reached the other side of the table where Itachi sat to the right of his father Fugaku, then his mother Mikoto, and their brother Madara.  Izuna, she noticed was absent and she wondered where he was.  Some business meeting no doubt or one of his many dalliances who had legs that went on for miles.  Sakura giggled to herself picturing a female Daddy Long Legs in her mind with a Gucci purse.</p><p>Sasuke’s hand squeezed hers under the cover of the table, he had noticed, she supposed or assumed.  She had never been very fond of his family’s parties, even when they had been teenagers, she had tried her hardest to avoid the main house and all the comings and goings that were included in being part of the Uchiha Family.</p><p>Sakura looked at her friend as he bent his head to hers and whispered, “After dinner, I have something I want to show you.  Something you probably forgot about.”  He smiled a half-smile at her.</p><p>She nodded, wondering what it could be, something she had forgotten about...most likely something from their youth then.  Memory lane, Sasuke had been traveling down that road since they had reacquainted themselves with one another.  She wondered at his newfound sentimentality.  He had never been this sentimental before.  Not even when they had been dating.</p><p>Sakura had been the sentimental one.  She had been the one to remind him of their dates, of their homework that's due in class the next day, anniversaries, their college application deadlines...he had never cared about any of that before.  Why now all of a sudden, or had they really changed that much since they had been apart?</p><p>Was she colder now that she had people dying on her table, under her hands when she couldn’t save them when there was no treatment, no help for the inflicted, the dying and the maimed?  Had she been the one to change, or had he...Sakura frowned into her champagne flute, it was empty.</p><p>“Here.”  Another flute was set gently into her hand.  Sakura looked up to find Sasuke watching her again, he had been doing that a lot lately.  It was a bit unnerving really.</p><p>“Thank you.”  Sakura smiled at her friend before burying her nose in the new glass.</p><p>“Don’t drink too much.”  Sasuke’s voice was light, he was teasing her but, neither one of them had forgotten what had happened the last time she had been to the Uchiha main house and had drunk a bit too much.</p><p>Sakura’s green eyes rose, traveled across the table, to Sasuke’s Uncle Madara.  He was looking at her, watching her watch him.  His thumb stroked the crystal of his tumbler as though he were deep in contemplation but his eyes held hers like fire on the rim..she swallowed.  He smiled a charming, knowing smile at her and inclined his head in her direction making her blush.</p><p>“Please excuse me.”  Sakura pushed her chair out from the table without looking at Sasuke, rose, turned, and walked out of the large dining hall toward the west wing where she knew the closest bathroom to be.  She needed to breathe, to splash some cool water on her face.</p><p>Sasuke’s head was turned to the door Sakura had just departed through, he didn’t see his Uncle rise from the table and walk out the farthest exit from him...but Itachi did.  Itachi sighed, so...it had begun.  He rose from his seat, smoothed down the front of his plain yet expensive suit, and walked out the same door his Uncle had taken, moving slowly down the hall, listening intently.</p><p>Sakura pushed the door to the bathroom open, stepped out, and walked right into the hard chest of Madara Uchiha.  “Oh!  Madara!  I’m so sorry.”  Sakura stammered her face flushing again.</p><p>Madara’s hands had risen to her shoulders to steady her, his fingers stroking the soft silk of the spaghetti straps of her dress.  </p><p>“So nice to see you again my dear.  It’s been a few years hasn’t it?”  He smiled down at the young woman, his eyes taking in the soft swell of her breasts, barely covered by the silk of the little black dress.  Mikoto sure knew how to dress the girl for seduction.  Sakura was fully covered and yet bare to the eye.  Madara licked his lips absently as he watched the fabric stretch over her bust with every breath.</p><p>He knew his sister wanted the girl to marry one of her sons but Madara thought Sakura wasted onthem.  She needed and deserved a real man, him.</p><p>“I hear you graduated with honors and are now the top surgeon at Konoha Hospital under Hashirama Senju?”  Madara’s pointer finger slipped under the silk strap of her dress, caressing the soft skin without interference.</p><p>“I, yes.”  Sakura took a small step backward, to find herself backed up against the now closed door of the bathroom she had just exited.</p><p>“Hashirama is an old friend of mine from college.”  Madara leaned forward a bit, closing the space between then, his finger slipping free of her strap to trail down the side of her chest to her waist, where he closed his fingers over her hip pulling her closer to himself.  “Perhaps the next time I stop in to see him, I could...inquire after you?”</p><p>His breath was hot on her skin, he was too close, he was leaning into her about to…</p><p>“Uncle, mother would like to speak to you.”  Itachi’s voice came from around the corner of the hall.  Sakura turned her head to see him stop abruptly.  “Am I...interrupting?”</p><p>“No.”  Sakura spoke quickly, stepping to the side and away from Madara, toward Itachi.  “Not at all.”  She looped her arm in his, turned them, and pulled him down the hall with her.</p><p>She could swear, she heard Madara growl…</p><p>“Sorry but I had to get away from your Uncle, he is quite uh...imposing.”  She tried to pull her arm from Itachi’s but he clasped her fingers in his other hand pulling her arm back through his and drawing her closer to his side.</p><p>“We Uchiha do not hesitate when we see something we desire.”  Itachi looked down at Sakura who looked up at him in surprise.</p><p>“Madara doesn’t want me,  That was a joke to him, to get back at me for the library six years ago.”  She stuttered.</p><p>“Was it.”  Itachi pitied the woman, she really had no idea, did she?  “I wonder.”</p><p>“What?”  Sakura asked, not understanding him in the least.</p><p>Itachi chuckled a low pleasant sort of chuckle.  “You really have no idea do you, how stunningly beautiful you are.”  Itachi stopped walking, pulled Sakura around in front of him, bent his head, and kissed her softly on the side of her mouth.</p><p>Sakura gasped and pulled back from Sasuke’s older brother.  “What are you…”  </p><p>“Are you and Sasuke dating?”  Itachi asked her bluntly.</p><p>“No.”  She was so surprised by his kiss that she actually answered him.</p><p>“Good, have dinner with me then.”  Itachi hooked his hands behind his back and waited patiently.</p><p>“We’re at a dinner party Itachi.”  Sakura raised a pink brow at him, quickly regaining her composure in the face of plain logic.</p><p>“Clearly, tomorrow after you get out of work.  I’ll pick you up at, say 7 pm?”  Itachi smiled expectantly at her, waiting as patiently as ever.</p><p>“Were you always this, brazen?  I don’t recall you ever being so forward before Itachi.”  This had to be a joke.  Shisui had dared him or had bet him or…” Are you serious?”</p><p>Itachi smirked, cocked his head to the side, and nodded.  “I’ll pick you up at 7 pm tomorrow after work.”</p><p>Sakura stood in the middle of the hallway, her mouth agape as she watched the sleek figure of Itachi Uchiha glide back down the hallway to the dining room.</p><p>“What the hell just happened?”  Sakura stammered, looking left then right.  “Did that just happen?”</p><p>***

</p><p>Sakura was still frowning when she entered the dining hall again, at  the far end, and walked all the way to her seat beside Sasuke, sitting down with a slight thump.</p><p>“Are you okay Sakura?”  Sasuke asked his friend, she was flushed and looked confused.  He hadn’t seen a look like that on her face since they had been in High School together.</p><p>“Uh, yeah I think so.”  Sakura looked up and across the table, first at Itachi, then at Madara, who were both looking at her, but only Madara was smiling at her, that lazy arrogant smile of his.</p><p>Sasuke followed her eyes, his Uncle smirked, but his brother turned away to speak to their mother who had laid a hand on her son’s arm drawing his attention from his younger brother and his...friend.</p><p>Dinner was served, conversation dropping off in favor of the delicious food before them.  Sakura ate until her sides hurt.  “I can’t remember the last time I tasted something so wonderful.”</p><p>Sasuke laughed.  Sakura had always loved to eat.  “Remember when we were kids and I used to tell you , you would grow up to be fat because you ate as much as the boys?”  He laughed recalling Ino and Sakura as kids.</p><p>“Yeah, Ino said my waist would finally catch up to the size of my forehead and I got mad and started calling her pig in retribution, causing her to call me forehead.”  Sakura laughed, laying her hand on Sasuke's arm like old time.</p><p>He smiled down at her touch and twined his fingers with hers making her look up at him.  “I've missed this Sakura.”</p><p>“I’ve been thinking.”  He reached out with his other hand , tucking a stray curl back behind her ear.  “We should get back together, you know, date again.”</p><p>Sakura’s mouth dropped open.  First Madara, then Itachi and now...Sasuke?  Was she asleep...this was a dream, a nightmare.  She closed her eyes.</p><p>Sasuke smiled, taking her gesture as a good sign.  Her rose to his feet, pulled out his chair and wrapped his arm around her waist.  “Come on, dinner’s almost over.  I want to show you that thing I mentioned before everyone starts moving from the dining room to the rest of the house.”</p><p>Mikoto watched her youngest pull Sakura from the dining room, her eyes sliding sideways to see what her oldest would do.  Itachi watched his little brother with clam calculating eyes.  Mikoto smiled, he was...plotting, good.</p><p>“Don’t even think about it Madara.”  Mikoto set her hand on her brother’s arm as he rose, no doubt to follow and intimidate Sasuke.  “She’s not meant for you.  Too young brother.”</p><p>Madara pulled his arm out from under his sister’s restraining hand, rose to his feet, leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Need I remind you Mikoto, Fugaku is fifteen years your senior and you have two healthy boys from your union.  Do not deny me my pleasure.  Your sons may fight for their bride, I never wanted to marry her.  She owes me, for the library.”</p><p>Mikoto watched her brother leave the hall, turned to her eldest son.  “Go Itachi, see that no harm comes to my girl.”</p><p>“Of course mother.”  Itachi left the hall, following his Uncle.</p><p>“Are you sure that’s wise Mikoto?  Setting Itachi on Madara like that?  He is your brother after all.”  Fugaku took a sip of his champagne.</p><p>“Don’t underestimate my brother and Itachi can handle the situation, it won’t come to bloodshed.”  Mikoto said confidently.</p><p>“...and Sasuke?”  Fugaku looked his wife in the eye.</p><p>“Sasuke will just have to learn to keep what’s his closer unless he wants to lose it.  He already lost her once.  If he gets her back I doubt he would be so foolish as to lose her again.”</p><p>“Whatever you say dear.  This is your pet project.”  Fugaku raised his glass to the maid who quickly brought him another.  “Just remember why you’re doing this.  I know you would never forgive yourself if Sakura ended up getting hurt.”</p><p>Mikoto’s eyes flashed.  “Are you threatening me?”</p><p>Fugaku took a large swallow of his drink making his wife wait for his answer.  “Don’t be irrational darling.”  He used the word she despised the most purposefully.</p><p>“I know how you get caught up in your...intrigue.”  Fugaku smiled at his wife.  “Don’t lose track of the purpose.”</p><p>“I won’t.”  Mikoto narrowed her eyes at her husband.  “Since when do you meddle in my affairs?”</p><p>“I, too, want Sakura to join our family Mikoto.”  Fugaku said simply.  “She already is, marrying her to one of our sons would merely make it official.”</p><p>Mikoto nodded.  Sakura didn’t know it yet but yes, she was already part of their family whether she liked it or not.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>short, sorry.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sasuke pulled Sakura by the hand through the side door to the house, out into the yard, past the lit up and quietly decorated patio.</p><p>“Where are we going Sasuke, is it far?  I’m not sure my shoes can handle a long walk.”  Sakura stumbled on the gravel of the garden path they had just stepped onto hesitantly.</p><p>“It’s not far.”  Sasuke paused.  “I can carry you, if you like?”  He turned to her, a small familiar smirk on his face. He was teasing her the brat.</p><p>“Uh, no.”  She rolled her eyes.  “That isn’t necessary.”  Sasuke chuckled quietly.</p><p>“It isn’t far.”  He said again, pulling gently on her hand, heading for the woods at the back of the lot, away from the illuminated patio where his Uncle Madara had just appeared.</p><p>Madara pulled a cigarette from his suit pocket, stood at the edge of the patio landing and watched his nephew pull the pinkette into the dark woods.  What the hell was the boy up to, he wondered as he lit his cigarette.  Itachi stepped up beside his uncle, pulled a cigarette from his own pocket, lit it and took a long drag.  The two men stood side by side in silence, looking out into the dark of the dark.  Waiting.</p><p>“Here.”  Sasuke stopped before a large tree after leading her through the woods for what seemed like forever.  “Do you remember this tree Sakura?”  His eyes were dark in the oppressive night, she could barely make his form out beside her.</p><p>Sakura reached out in front of her, placing her hands on the cold rough bark.  “It’s a tree Sasuke.”  What was the big deal about a tree?  This was what they had come out here for?</p><p>“Yeah.”  Sasuke’s voice was soft as he took a step back, then stepped up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her back up against his chest.  “Our tree.”  He kissed the top of her head and smoothed her curls from his nose with a gentle hand.</p><p>“Our tree?”  She didn’t understand, they didn’t have a tree.  “Sasuke…”  She began…</p><p>“When we were fifteen, we carved our names into this tree, do you remember?”  He reached down, lifted her hand in his and placed it flat against the tree, his fingers curving over hers, tracing the indent of what she assumed were their names.  “You told me…you loved me here, under this tree, when I kissed you for the first time, do you remember?” </p><p>She could feel the heat of his body where it touched hers, could feel the slight nervous tremor run through him…was he…afraid?</p><p>Sakura turned in his arms to face him.  It was so dark, she could barely see the glint of his dark eyes, but she could feel him, his body pressed up against hers, his arms around her waist, his breath…on her neck as he ducked his head and kissed her lightly.</p><p> “Sasuke…”  Sakura whispered, leaning into his familiar embrace.  “That was…a long time ago…”</p><p>“I still love you.”  He tightened his hold on her, pulling her body up, making her rise to her tippy toes, nudging her chin with his nose to tip her head back.  “Do you…still love me?”</p><p>“It’s been a long time Sasuke, we’re not the same kids we used to be.  I’m not the same person I was.”  She didn’t want to hurt him, he had never been one to say what he felt, and she knew it had taken a lot for him to…tell her this.  “I will always love you Sasuke but…”</p><p>“Am I too late then?  Did I…ruin everything by letting you go, by letting us…fall apart?”  His voice grew distant, cold and…hurt.  She was hurting him.  She could feel him closing up, cutting her out...protecting himself.</p><p>“It isn’t your fault, it’s no one's fault Sasuke.  Sometimes these things just…happen.  We just, you know, grew up.”  She tried to console him.  “I’m sorry.”</p><p>She kissed his cheek, let her hand slide along his arm as she walked away, back toward the house, the lights and…the present.</p><p>Sasuke stood alone, the night closing in on him.  His hand lifted and traced their names on the tree before him…he sighed.  “Maybe she just…needs more time…”  He tried to tell himself.<br/>With a quick exhale, he slumped against the tree.  He would return to the house, just…not yet.  He couldn’t face her again, just yet.</p><p>“You’ve been gone a long time Itachi.”  Madara brought his cigarette up to his lips and pulled a deep drag, squinting his eyes slightly against the smoke.</p><p>“Your point Uncle?”  Itachi watched the tree line for any sign of Sakura or Sasuke.  They had been gone for a while now.  He wondered what his little brother was up to.</p><p>“Konoha has changed since you’ve been gone.”  Madara flicked the cigarette into the lawn, watched the end of it burn brightly before it went out on it’s own.  “Not everyone will be as happy to see you as we are.”  Madara turned to his nephew.</p><p>“Are you happy to see me Uncle, should I look over my shoulder for danger?”  Itachi turned his head to his Uncle, a slight uplift at the corner of his mouth…he had missed this…anticipation, this thrill, while he had been away.</p><p>“Not from me.”  Madara said smoothly.  “…but I’d be careful if I were you Itachi.  People that the Uchiha used to trust, are no longer trustworthy.”</p><p>“Ah.”  Itachi understood, there had been a change in the underground then.  He had heard that…well, he would find out for himself soon enough, or from Shisui, whom he had yet to speak with since his return earlier that day.<br/>Madara and Itachi watched Sakura make her way across the lawn from the woods, moving slowly, making sure she didn’t trip in the dark.</p><p>“She’s alone.”  Itachi observed.</p><p>“Maybe she murdered Sasuke and buried him in the woods.”  Madara pulled another cigarette from his suit coat.</p><p>“I doubt that much has changed since I’ve been gone.”  Itachi snorted.</p><p>Madara smirked at his nephew.  “You might be surprised.”</p><p>Itachi’s brows rose to his hairline, was his uncle inferring that Sakura was part of…no…she would never.  As much as he was sure had changed in Konoha in his absence he very much doubted that Sakura had joined their family in…that aspect.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sakura looked up as a hand shot in between the elevator doors to keep it from closing.  A tall man with hair as white as the deep winter snow stepped briskly into the elevator and stood beside her waiting for the elevator doors to close.</p><p>They were alone in the elevator, few people entered and exited the elevators after the 35th floor.  If they did, they either belonged on the higher floors of executives or were delivering them lunch.  The assistants and the receptionists for the 35th floor offices and above...remained on the 34th floor.</p><p>Sakura looked at the man out of the corner of her eye and wondered who he was, she’d never seen him before.  Her office, even though it was on the 44th floor, was rarely used.  Most of her day was spent below, hands deep in some poor saps abdomen, chest or bowles.  She loathed paperwork.  Painstakingly piecing together arteries, veins and other slippery organs was much more preferable to her than filling out tedious, and what she considered to be mostly, pointless paperwork.</p><p>The elevator slowed and the doors opened.  Sakura looked at the panel, they were on the 40th floor.  This was taking forever.  She groaned from behind her stack of files she had in her arms.  She didn’t even want to go to her office, she had more important things to do than paperwork.  She really needed to get an assistant.  If she had an assistant she wouldn’t need to do her paperwork herself.</p><p>Two men shuffled into the small elevator, Sakura shifted the paperwork in her arms and moved back into what she had thought was the back wall of the elevator only to come up against something both soft and hard at the same time.  Apparently the man who had entered after her had also moved, anticipating the need for more space, and had moved, behind her.</p><p>“Oh, forgive me.”  She mumbled, once again rearranging her files in her arms.  The top file shifted and slid from the stack.</p><p>With surprising agility the white haired man caught the file in his left hand and set it back on top of her stack. </p><p>“Here.”  He took the whole stack of paperwork from her arms and nodded to the now open elevators doors.  “I assume this is your floor?”</p><p>The two men that had entered the elevator had apparently already stepped off and out of the small space ahead of her.</p><p>“Uh, yes, thank you, um…”  Sakura looked up into unusual red eyes and smiled faintly at the stern expression on the man’s face...was he, annoyed?</p><p>“Tobirama.”  The man stepped out of the elevator in front of her and quirked his eyebrow at her.  “Which way?”</p><p>“Oh!”  Sakura jumped out of the elevator and turned to the left.  “Thank you very much, this is unnecessary, I can handle them from here, please…”</p><p>She reached out for her files but the man stepped ahead of her once more.  “Which office?”  He ignored her sputtering.</p><p>“The one to the left at the end of the hall.”  She glowered at him.  It was nice of him to assist her at first but now he was just being bossy.  “If you please.”</p><p>The man walked ahead of her, then into her office, without hesitating, he set the files on the edge of her desk, inclined his head respectfully, turned, and walked out the door.  Pausing briefly, he turned back to Sakura.  “Tell your boss not to overload you next time, or try carrying less, you wouldn’t want to get fired for something so foolish as dropping his papers and losing them because you didn’t have the foresight to take more than one trip.”</p><p>Sakura’s face flushed red with anger…’Her boss?’...’His papers?’...Her mouth dropped open, the words on the tip of her tongue. But the man was gone before she could blink…</p><p>”Asshole!”  She yelled at the top of her lungs, then slammed the door to ‘Her’ office.</p><p>Tobirama allowed himself a small chuckle at the woman’s lack of composure.  Secretaries were always so emotional, that’s why when their hospital had been built he had kept them on the 34th floor.  He wondered briefly whose secretary she was, he would have to ask his brother.  The man should be informed of the woman’s less than professional behavior.  Clearly, she had been hired on her looks alone.</p><p>He shook his head as he punched the ‘up’ button on the elevator.  Employees ought to be hired for their talent, efficiency and intelligence, not their looks.  Although, he hummed to himself, she was rather beautiful with those bright green eyes and pastel pink hair.  Still, her boss ought to have a word with her about her attitude.  </p><p>His office was on the 44th floor, which meant he was someone important to the hospital, he would wish to know if his secretary was unprofessionally cursing at people.</p><p>Tobirama barely knocked before turning the knob to his brother’s office door and stepping inside.</p><p>“Ah Tobi, so good to see you.  You remember Madara here.  Don’t you?”  Tobirama’s brother Hashirama Senju, gestured expansively to the man seated in front of his desk in a wide leather chair, his unruly and obnoxiously long spiky hair flowing over the back.</p><p>“Of course.”  Tobirama sighed internally.  If he had known the Uchiha was here he would have come...after lunch.  “How are you, Madara?”</p><p>Madara Uchiha took in the annoyed twinge on the left side of the younger Senju’s mouth and smirked.  The man had never liked him, that much had always been clear.  It was just as well, Madara had never cared for Tobirama either.  They could, however, tolerate one another.  It was Izuna, Madara’s younger brother, who absolutely despised the man, and he thought, the feeling might be mutual.</p><p>“I am well.  I hear congratulations are in order.”  Madara leaned his head back and to the side to look at Tobirama better.  The man had stopped just inside the room, as though coming further into the room would ensnare him into something...unpleasant.</p><p>“Congratulations?”  Tobirama sighed and took two more steps into the room.  If he came into the room all the way his brother would invite him to lunch with him and his...friend.</p><p>“Hashirama tells me you have returned to Konoha to assist him with the hospital, as his new CFO.”  Madara looked back at his friend who was smiling pleasantly at his brother.</p><p>“So it would seem.”  Tobirama rolled his eyes, is that what his brother had told the man, interesting.  “Speaking of which, I ran into a rather emotional secretary just a moment ago, the doctor responsible for her ought to be notified of her unprofessional attitude.”</p><p>“Hum?”  Hashirama leaned forward, his elbows on his desk.  “What happened Tobi?  Here five minutes and already looking to fire someone?”</p><p>“Don’t be ridiculous Hashirama.  I didn’t say the woman should be fired, only punished, reprimanded...a warning.  She cursed at my constructive criticism after I offered her my generous assistance.”  Tobirama pulled the other chair out in front of his brother’s desk and accepted the inevitable.  He would probably be forced to go to lunch with them.  As long as Izuna didn’t join them, he could tolerate Madara, in small doses.</p><p>“Really?”  Hashirama was surprised.  “Most of the secretaries don’t venture past the 35th floor, by your own design to keep them...in their place.”  He smiled a small smile at his brother while Madara smirked.</p><p>“With good reason.  The woman I just met is a prime example.”  Tobirama looked out the window, it would rain soon, he could feel the dampness in the air.</p><p>“What was her name Tobi, perhaps I know her.”  Hashirama rose from his seat, picking his coat up off of the coat stand by his minibar.  “Shall we go to lunch?  Tobi, you’ll join us won’t you?”</p><p>“I didn’t bother asking the woman her name and I doubt she would have offered it to me after calling me an asshole, but she had the most remarkable pink hair.  I can see why the doctor who hired her, hired her.”  Tobirama stood and pushed his chair back in, missing the look exchanged between his brother and the Uchiha who was chuckling near silently into his fist.</p><p>“Perhaps we should stop by Dr. Haruno’s office, and invite them to lunch, what say you Hashi? Hum?”  Madara asked his old friend.</p><p>“I think it would be...most entertaining Madara, let’s.”  Hashirama’s eyes danced with merriment as he opened the door to his office and waved both his brother and Madara through the door.  “Shall we see if she is available now?”</p><p>“She?”  Tobirama’s eyes widened just a bit, he hadn’t heard of any female doctors working for their hospital since their cousin Tsunade had left over a year ago.</p><p>“Yes, she.  Doctor Sakura Haruno, she’s a brain surgeon who likes to dabble in other...areas.”  Hashirama smiled widely as he punched the ‘down’ button on the elevator.  “How many degrees does she have now Madara, three or is it four?”</p><p>“Five actually, by Mikoto’s count.  I hope she isn’t buried in too much paperwork to join us.”  Madara smiled into the back of his hand as he cleared his throat.  Yes, coming to visit his friend today was a good idea.  Inviting Sakura to lunch with them even better.</p><p>...watching her tear Tobirama Senju a new asshole...perfect.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sakura didn’t bother to look up from her stack of paperwork when a knock sounded on her office door.  She didn’t call out a greeting as two large hands fell onto her desk over her paperwork or when the strong scent of expensive cologne wafted over her nose making her want to hurl.</p><p>“Izuna, if you don’t mind, I have a lot to do, before I start my important work of saving lives, unblocking arteries from years of donut consumption and so…”  Sakura growled as Izuna plucked her pen effortlessly from her fingers and threw it into her wall, headless of the fresh paint or the picture of Sasuke and Naruto that had been hanging there before her pen had smashed into it, breaking the glass.</p><p>“What the hell do you think you’re…”  The wind was forced from her lungs as she was picked up and thrown to the floor of her office.  Sakura twisted out of Izuna’s grip, tried to right herself mid fall but couldn’t quite shake his grip on her wrist.  “Shit!”</p><p>“Don’t let your guard down.”  Izuna laughed as she twisted her shoulder out from underneath him.  “Don’t leave any openings for me to...Oooof!”  </p><p>Sakura smirked as she kicked up, using the floor as a brace, rotated her leg back into place, jumped to her feet and lunged forward to grab Izuna by the neck after she had kicked him bodily off of her.  Pushing with all of her might, she shoved him up against the opposite wall beside her office door, slammed her palm against the decorative wall hanging, and grinned in his face.</p><p>“Twenty seven to twenty two, eternal rival!”  Sakura crowed as Madara, Hashirama and Tobirama walked into her office.</p><p>“Izuna, there you are.  I was wondering if you would show up in time.  I see that you’ve found Sakura’s office, shall we go then?”  Madara’s voice was casual with undertones of barely suppressed amusement, his eyes darting around the office...a smirk on his face.  “Twenty seven to twenty one now I see.”</p><p>“This one doesn’t count!”  Izuna pushed Sakura’s hand from his throat, rubbing it furtively as he adjusted his suit and dusted his front off.  “She was clearly expecting me.”</p><p>“I would expect so.”  Madara laughed, unable to hold his humour back in the face of his own wit.</p><p>“What is that Madara, the third time this week, thank goodness it’s Friday.  Eh Sakura sweetheart?”  Hashirama stepped forward, pulled a string from Skaura’s hair and shoved her toward Tobirama who had yet to close his mouth.  “May I introduce you to my younger brother, Tobirama Senju.”</p><p>“You’re...brother?”  Sakura looked from Tobirama to Hashirama, snapping her drop jawed mouth much faster and with much more dignity than Tobirama had mustered.  “Of course he is.” </p><p>Izuna glared at the white haired Senju.  “I take it from your less than pleased expression, you’ve met before?”  He asked Sakura who pushed her hair back from her face and pulled her coat from her rack behind the door.</p><p>“Yeah, an hour ago, he called me a secretary and I called him an asshole.”  Sakura glared at Tobirama who had the good sense to glare back at her.  “I’m not a secretary Tobirama San, but you’re still an asshole.”</p><p>She walked out her office door leaving the men to follow as they pleased.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sakura stared at Tobirama and Tobirama stared at Sakura.</p><p>Izuna, who thought of Sakura more like a younger sister than a friend of the family, was also glaring at Tobirama after Sakura had recanted the very interesting story of how she and Tobirama had first met to the table.</p><p>“I don’t like you.”  Sakura spit out the side of her mouth as their tea was served.</p><p>“You should have told me who you were.”  Tobirama crossed his arms over his chest and continued to look down at the small woman in front of him.  </p><p>He knew he was wrong but she didn’t have to be so hostile about it.  He had already apologized to her...wait...his brows drew in together, had he?  He couldn’t recall, she was very distracting sitting there, her green eyes shooting darts at him, her skirt riding up her thigh...visible to all the men present through the glass table top.</p><p>“You have two eyes don’t you?  You were in my office weren’t you?  Perhaps you should be more aware of your surroundings.”  Sakura countered.  “My diplomas are hanging on the wall asshole.”</p><p>Izuna snorted in agreement as the waitress bowed low beside their table.</p><p>“Here.”  Madara handed the woman their order without looking at her, more interested in the battle of wills playing out before his eyes.  Sakura was a firecracker but Tobirama was no slouch.</p><p>The waitress bowed again, low and walked off toward the kitchen.  Sakura rolled her eyes.</p><p>“I see where Sasuke gets his arrogance.”  She muttered under her breath at Madara.</p><p>“...and his devastatingly natural good looks.  Clearly it wasn’t from his father but Mikoto’s line, our line of the main family.”  Madara smiled a charming smile at Sakura, his hand dropping to her thigh where he ran his fingers to her knee, then back up again before drawing his hand away.</p><p>Tobirama watched Sakura’s mouth tighten, so it was like that huh?  He caught his brother’s eye who shrugged.  ‘Not our business’, Hashirama’s look said.</p><p>Izuna gave his older brother a dirty look.  ‘Interesting’, Tobirama met the woman’s eyes again, this time...she looked away.  ‘Very interesting’, he hummed to himself.  Madara Uchiha had finally found a woman he wanted...that didn’t, want him back.</p><p>A few moments later the waitress returned with the assistance of another and placed dish after dish in the center of the table, each explaining the preparation and attributes of each plate and bowl much to Sakura’s annoyance.  She just wanted to eat, what was with rich people and wanting to know how their food was made, why it was made this way verses another way ...who cared that much about their food.  She just cared if it tasted good or not.  Sakura shifted in her seat in agitation.</p><p>She was hungry. This was taking too long.  She had too much paperwork to do and the red eyed asshole in front of her wouldn’t stop staring at her.</p><p>“Are you going to stare at me while I eat too?  I don’t think I’ll be able to digest my food properly if you keep this up.”  She interrupted the waitress before she had finished explaining the last dish.  Sakura knew part of it was residual offense from earlier but most of it was because she was hungry.  She tended to get extremely cranky when she was hungry.</p><p>“I thought you were a doctor, don’t you know how the human digestive system works?”  Tobirama picked up his lacquered chopsticks and tapped them into uniformity with more than needed emphasis on the table.</p><p>“Surgeon actually, and yes I do know how the human digestive system works, you’re just that annoying.”  Sakura huffed, picking her chopsticks and tapping them into order.  </p><p>“Now Tobi, don’t agitate Sakura.  She has a surgery this afternoon, we want her hand steady, not trembling with fury you know.”  Hashirama laughed loudly, a vain attempt to dispel the tension between the pinkette and his younger brother.</p><p>“Yes, we wouldn’t want a law suit would we?”  Tobirama picked his bowl of rice up, looking at Sakura over the rim.  She bristled at the insulting insinuation.</p><p>“Even if Sakura were to make a ‘mistake’, which I highly doubt, she is covered, by the Uchiha Law Firm.”  Madara waved a hand through the air dismissing the topic.</p><p>‘So, it’s like that is it?’, Tobirama continued to glower at the woman.  That’s how she got to where she was, the Uchiha.</p><p>“I don’t need your protection Madara.  I’ve told Sasuke and I’ve told you before.  It isn’t needed.”  Sakura shoved octopus in her mouth to keep herself from elaborating in front of the Senju brothers.  She had never had lunch with Hashirama before and was a little more than a bit embarrassed that she was doing so now, with Izuna and Madara, much less Tobirama.</p><p>“...and yet you have it.”  Madara placed his hand on her thigh again, rubbing her soft skin under the glass table for all to see.</p><p>Izuna watched his older brother suspiciously.  Ever since Sasuke’s graduation party Madara had been interested in the girl, now a woman, and he wasn’t sure what sort of interest it was.  His brother had never had a serious girlfriend, in fact he and his friend Hashirama were known to ‘share’ women sometimes, more like objects than people.</p><p>Sakura wasn’t like the other women his brother tended to lean toward.  She was intelligent, clever and very, very close to the main branch of the family.  Six years ago, he swore that Sasuke and her were going to get married, but it had fallen apart.  Izuna had been pleased when Mikoto had continued to invite the girl to their family events, he had become very fond of the girl like the rest of the family  She was like a breath of fresh air, a flash of brilliant pink in the darkened forest of the Uchiha.</p><p>If he were honest, he thought that, more than anything drew his brother to the girl.</p><p>Purposefully, Sakura had been kept from the darker aspects of their family.  He was sure she was...suspicious of certain clandestine affairs the Uchiha were involved in but had the good sense not to pry.  She wasn’t a fool and she had been around them enough to see...some things or over hear...certain conversations.</p><p>Izuna watched Sakura inch away from his brother, watched the smirk forming at the corner of Madara’s lips and began to worry.  Did their interaction in the library six years ago mean more to his brother than a drunken dalliance?</p><p>Hashirama cleared his throat as desert was served.  “I’ll be observing you today in your surgery Sakura.  This will be the last observation before your sign off.”  He picked up his spoon.</p><p>“Of course.”  Sakura nodded, she was feeling much better now that she had some food in her, she didn’t even mind the furtive looks Tobirama was giving her or the slight tugging on her hair as Madara put his arm over the back of her chair.</p><p>She sighed as she placed the last spoonful of sherbet into her mouth and closed her eyes.  When she opened them she blushed.  Tobirama was looking at her again, but not in animosity or annoyance.  He had an amused sort of surprised look on his face.  She wasn’t sure what to make of it.</p><p>“I see that you enjoy sherbet.”  He commented.</p><p>“I..yes.”  He was being cordial, there was no reason for her not to return the favor.  Perhaps this was his way of making peace.  “My favorite is anmitsu though.”  She smiled at him surprising him.</p><p>“I remember.”  Izuna smiled at the woman, interrupting Tobirama before he could make an adequate response.  “Speaking of which, I was wondering what you’re up to tonight.  Did you want to go to the lighting of the fall fires downtown with me?  Obito will be going, he and Rin asked me if I wanted to go, you could come if you aren’t busy?”</p><p>“Oh.”  Sakura bit her lip.  She hadn’t told anyone about her dinner with Itachi tonight.  She still wasn’t quite sure if he had been joking or not.  “I think I might have plans actually, I’m not sure.”</p><p>“You’re not sure if you have dinner plans or not?”  Tobirama asked her, his brow raised in curiosity.  “That’s rather odd.”</p><p>Sakura nodded.  He wasn’t being sarcastic, he was really asking and she couldn’t blame him.  “It is, isn't it?”  She smiled and he smiled back.</p><p>“So…?”  Izuna prompted her.  He didn’t like her smiling at Tobirama Senju, or Tobirama smiling at Sakura.</p><p>“I’ll have to check with Itachi first to see if he was joking or not about dinner tonight.”  Sakura looked down at her watch to check the time and didn’t see the look shared between the two Uchiha brothers.</p><p>“Itachi asked you out?”  Izuna asked her, confused.  “Didn’t he just return to Konoha yesterday?”</p><p>“Yea, which reminds me, where were you yesterday for his return dinner?”  Sakura teased Izuna who blushed a little.  “What is her name or did you not bother to ask this time, I swear Izuna, you need to come in and see me for a STD test.”  Sakura rolled her eyes.</p><p>“Her name didn’t matter as much as her…”  Izuna began but was hit over the head by Madara.</p><p>“Not at the table Izuna.”  Madara smirked, and Hashirama laughed.</p><p>“You’re dating Itachi Uchiha?”  Tobirama asked Sakura who was now looking out the window, clearly the woman wanted to leave, if she had even wanted to come to lunch with them in the first place.</p><p>“Hum?”  Sakura turned her head back to Tobirama absently.  “No, I’m not dating anyone.  I’m sure it is just a joke, probably Shiui’s doing.  Are we done?  I really need to get back before my surgery this afternoon.”  She pushed her chair back and looked at Madara expectantly.</p><p>“Of course my dear, allow me to walk you back to your office.”  Madara reached out for her hand but she drew away from him.</p><p>“No need, thank you for lunch but I’m in a hurry so I’ll just…”  Sakura stepped around Madara but he stopped her with a hand to her elbow, catching her before she could slip through his grasp.</p><p>“I insist.”  His dark eyes bore down into her light green.  “Please, there is something I wish to speak to you about.”</p><p>Madara Uchiha never said please, to anyone.  Sakura nodded.  “Okay.”</p><p>“It was a pleasure to see you again Tobirama.”  Maadara inclined his head to Tobirama, then Hashirama and his brother Izuna.  “Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”  </p><p>Madara helped Sakura into her coat, waited for her to tie her sash, then pressed his palm to her lower back and ushered her out the door.</p><p>“Do you think she knows?”  Hashirama asked Izuna conversationally as they left the restaurant in a more leisurely fashion than Sakura and Madara had.</p><p>“Knows what?”  Izuna asked, knowing full well what the elder Senju was referring to.</p><p>“What she’s in store for.”  Hashirama laughed out loud.  “I doubt Madara will wish to share this one with me.”  He rubbed the back of his head ruefully.</p><p>“Too bad, I had it in mind to ask her out myself, when the time was right.  It looks like I’ve lost my chance eh?”  He nudged his brother who rolled his eyes.</p><p>“She wouldn’t have gone out with you.”  Tobirama said flatly.</p><p>“Oh?”  Hashirama smiled at his brother, sensing interest.</p><p>“He’s right.”  Izuna looked at the Senju blandly.  “I doubt she has any interest in my brother either though if it makes you feel any better Hashirama San.”</p><p>“Hum, yes I can see that but you know...your brother doesn't take no for an answer.”  Hashirma pulled his coat up over his shoulders, tucking his scarf into the lapel.</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?”  Tobirama glared between his brother and Izuna equally.</p><p>“It means it’s none of your business asshole.”  Izuna buttoned his own coat, smirked and walked out the door to the restaurant leaving the two Senju brothers alone.</p><p>“Hashirama.”  Tobirama began as they made their way to the front of the restaurant.</p><p>“It’s none of our business, like Izuna San said, leave it be Tobirama.  Sakura can handle herself.  I didn’t hire her for her looks alone, you know, no matter what I just said.”  Hashirama smiled to himself.  He had planned on asking the woman out, but not now, not after Madara had made his intentions toward the woman clear.</p><p>“Hmph.”  Tobirama followed his brother out of the restaurant.  Maybe he would stop by the observation room and ‘observe’ the woman’s surgery later with his brother.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is turning into something a bit longer than I had planned and becoming more serious than I had wanted.  Time to throw it back to senseless humor, wit and sexual tension eh?</p><p>Let's start to speed things up...yeah?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sakura pushed her key into her front door and groaned.  It had been such a long day.  She had gotten off work at 6pm and had waited until 7:10 Pm for Itachi but he hadn’t come, called or written an apology across the sky, so she had left work and driven home on her own.  It was just as well.  All she really wanted was a hot bath, and maybe some dumplings.  </p><p>It must have been a joke after all…</p><p>Madara’s words replayed endlessly in her head.  She still wasn’t sure what to think.</p><p>“First, hot bath.”  She pushed her front door open, remembering to lock it behind her this time and trudged up her stairs to her bedroom one at a time.</p><p>Lunch had been...awkward.  She had learned that she wasn’t the only one who despised Tobirama Senju.  Izuna hated him even more than she did and had hated him for many years...apparently. </p><p>Sakura peeled her clothes from her body, sighing slowly as she tried to settle her nerves.</p><p>After leaving the restaurant Madara had escorted her back to her office, insisting he hold her hand in the elevator pulling her to his side and wrapping his arms around her in a most suggestive manner.  It had made her more than uncomfortable, but not nearly as uncomfortable as he had once they had gotten into her office and had shut the door.</p><p>She had barely taken her coat off before he had her in his arms again, one of her sleeves dangling to the side as he gripped the back of her head pushing her back up against the door to her office, kissing her deeply and thoroughly.</p><p>She had pushed him away of course, had told him she wasn’t interested in him that way but...she couldn’t deny the heat in her face or the heat he had aroused in her…</p><p>Madara Uchiha was a very attractive man, but she wasn’t a fool.  She hadn’t been the first woman he had kissed like that and she knew she wouldn’t be the last.  She didn’t want to be one of many.  She deserved to be the one, the only one in someone’s life.</p><p>Yes Madara Uchiha was very attractive, but not the kind of man Sakura wanted to mess around with and it would only ever be messing around with a man like him.</p><p>A nice long soak in the bath would help her forget it had even happened.</p><p>Sakura sat down on the edge of her tub and turned the taps.  She pinned her hair up over her head and poured a capful of lavender oil into the steaming water.  Closing her eyes she inhaled the fragrant oil.  She was already starting to relax just thinking of slipping into the tub and letting the warmth penetrate her sore bones.</p><p>Izuna hadn’t been gentle earlier.  He never was.  She couldn’t recall how they had first become eternal rivals...oh yes, Kakashi Hatake.  The old dog.</p><p>Well, not so old, not any older than Izuna or Madara really.  The same age as Obito.  Obito, she had to get her car to Obito tomorrow.  Maybe she could call Sasuke for a ride back home or…</p><p>KNOCK KNOCK.</p><p>Sakura groaned.  The universe was against her, it wanted her to be miserable.  Not only had she been insulted, attacked and then man handled today, she had been stood up, splashed with water on the way to her car in the hospital parking garage and given dirty looks by the other drivers on the way home because the front end of her vehicle was still smashed in.</p><p>...and she wasn’t even allowed a hot bath to pretend it all away.  So not fair.  She wrapped a towel around her naked body and walked down the stairs to her front door.</p><p>At least her surgery had gone well and Hashirama had signed off on her final papers.  She was officially, the best surgeon in Konoha, legit.  Sakura smiled to herself, even that smug jerk Tobirama had looked impressed when she had met them by the OR door after she had finished.</p><p>Opening the door just a crack, Sakura peered out.  “Itachi?”</p><p>“Sakura.”  Itachi Uchiha bowed formally, an apologetic smile on his face.  “Forgive me for not meeting you at work as we had planned.  I was unexpectedly detained.”</p><p>“Oh uh, it’s okay um, would you mind waiting for just, a moment please?”  Sakura snapped the front door shut as soon as he nodded and ran back up her stairs to her bedroom, then her bathroom to change into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt that had been thrown carelessly over her desk chair the night before.</p><p>When she returned to her stairs to open the door for Itachi she found him inside, standing patiently in her foyer.  “How did you…”</p><p>“You left your door unlocked.”  Itachi looked up at her from the bottom of her stairs.  “You should be more careful Sakura, anyone could have walked into your home.”  Itachi’s dark eyes roamed over her body.</p><p>“You missed a button.”  He nodded to her bottom button with a small smile recalling what she had looked like when she had rear ended him.  “How was work?”</p><p>“Good.”  Sakura buttoned her last button and walked down the rest of her stairs to look up at Itachi.  “I had lunch with Izuna, Madara, Hashirama Senju and his brother Tobirama who just returned to Konoha, much like yourself.”</p><p>“Hn.”  Itachi smiled, he already knew Tobirama had returned to Konoha, but he hadn’t heard about their lunch today.  “How was lunch?”</p><p>Sakura rolled her eyes.  “Fine, after it was served.  It also reminded me why I had spent the last six years avoiding the Uchiha.”  She watched him out of the corner of her eyes as she walked into her kitchen and turned on the light.  </p><p>“A family who says one thing, does another and leaves one feeling completely drained after each encounter.”  She smiled at the look of amusement on Itachi’s face.  “I’m beginning to see why you stayed away for the last six years.”</p><p>He doubted very much that she understood that part of his life, no matter how close she was to the rest of his family.  “Perhaps.”  He continued to smile at her.</p><p>“Where would you like to go to dinner tonight Sakura?”  He asked her, looking around her home.  It was modest, but not small.  Simply decorated without the usual clutter most single female homes had.  He was pleased.</p><p>“Something simple.”  Sakura tapped her finger against her kitchen counter.  “Somewhere where they don’t spend a half hour explaining how the dish was prepared.”</p><p>Itachi’s eyes sparkled.  “An excellent idea.  I know just the place.  If you’ll allow me?”  He pulled her coat from the back of one of the kitchen chairs and held it out for her.</p><p>“Thank you.”  Sakura knew she was in a jeans and tee shirt, Itachi was in a suit...where was he taking her that he could wear a suit and she could wear a tee shirt?</p><p>Fifteen minutes later found them standing in front of a small hole in the wall cafe...one of Sakura’s favorites, one Sasuke always refused to go to with her claiming it was ‘embarrassing’...did he know?</p><p>“This is one of my favorite places.”  Itachi looked down at her, hesitating.  “I know it isn’t much but…”</p><p>Sakura pulled him through the door by the hand.  “It’s perfect!”</p><p>Itachi smiled to himself as he watched Sakura bounce into the cafe pulling him by the arm, it was like she was a little girl again, it made him happy to see her happy.  He didn’t recall much about her when they had been younger, he hadn’t even recognized her when they had seen one another again after his six year absence.</p><p>Mikoto had told him bits and pieces over the years, keeping him up to date with the comings and goings of the Uchiha and their closest friends, and had told him how Sasuke and the girl had broken up.  His mother had failed to mention how beautiful Sakura had grown in his absence, perhaps it was because she was a woman herself, or perhaps it was because his mother knew that the surprise would have a much more profound effect on him, in person.</p><p>It was probably the latter.  His mother knew him well.</p><p>“Good evening Sakura!”  Kinao, the proprietress greeted Sakura warmly.  “We weren’t expecting you tonight, or is it Tuesday already?”  Kinao’s eyes darted to Itachi and back to Sakura with a smile.</p><p>“Good evening Kinao, uh no it’s still Friday.  This is Itachi Uchiha, a friend of mine and of uh Sasuke’s, well, it’s his older brother actually.”  Sakura stammered.</p><p>“Finally, a name to go with the face.  It’s been some time young man.”  Kinao bowed to Sakura and Itachi formally.</p><p>“I've just returned to Konoha mam and had to come here for dinner for my second night home.”  Itachi said, all charm and elegance.</p><p>‘So, he hadn’t been lying when he had told her it was one of his favorite places.’, Sakura was pleased.  Itachi was...different from his brother and...the other Uchiha.  She thought Shisui was the only Uchia who didn’t walk around with his nose in the air...and maybe Obito, but Obito was...different anyway, in a class of his own, like Kakashi Hatake.</p><p>She wondered if Kakashi would be going with Obito and Rin to the fall fire lighting tonight, would that be something Itachi would be interested in?  What if they met...it had been a long time ago...hardly worth mentioning really, it was just a one night stand...</p><p>“Well, sit sit, I’ll bring out some tea while you reacquaint yourself with our menu young man.  Sakura, the usual dear?”  Kinao looked at Sakura and winked.</p><p>Sakura laughed out loud.  “Yes, uh, minus the sake tonight if you please.”</p><p>“Of course my deary.”  Kinao patted Sakura on the shoulder and gave her a gentle push toward the booth, rather than her usual table in the darkened corner of the cafe.</p><p>“You come here to drink sake, on Tuesdays?”  Itachi’s mouth twitched.</p><p>“Uh, yes, a tradition.”  Sakura blushed.  Was it too soon to tell him about Shisou?  Maybe…</p><p>Itachi motioned for Sakura to enter the booth first.  He noticed her glance at the door, then the side exit quickly before turning her head toward the kitchen...interesting, like him, she didn’t like being trapped.  The more he learned about her, the more interesting she became and the more interested he became in her.</p><p>“They’ve added a few things.”  Itachi commented as he looked over the menu.  “Is the gyoza platter good here do you know?”</p><p>“It’s wonderful.”  Sakura fidgeted in her seat.</p><p>“What is it?”  He asked, not understanding the red creeping up the side of her neck.</p><p>“That’s what I’m getting, it’s my favorite.  It seems, we have a lot in common.”  Sakura laughed lightly.</p><p>“So it seems.”  Itachi smiled, placing his menu back on the table and marking his order down on the menu sheet.</p><p>Dinner was delicious.  Sakura had relaxed under Itachi’s calming voice and laid back disposition.  He was different from the other Uchiha, like she had noticed before.  He was more real and surreal at the same time.  His handsome features drew her closer to him, his voice lulled her into a sense of comfort and by the end of their meal she had found herself sitting much closer to him than she realized, his hand falling naturally over the back of the booth playing with the ends of her hair where they fell over he shoulder, she fit nicely into his taller form, nestled into his side.</p><p>Sakura hadn’t realized she had been looking up into his dark eyes without speaking and that he had been looking back at her just as mesmerized, just as distracted until Kinao had come over and placed a new pot of tea on their table.</p><p>“How was everything dear?”  The woman looked at Itachi but spoke to Sakura.</p><p>“Wonderful.”  Itachi nodded his thanks at the new pot of tea.  “Just as I remembered it.”</p><p>“Thank you young man, thank you.  So then, what do you have planned for the rest of the evening hum?  Will the two of your fine young things be going to the fire lighting ceremony downtown?”  Kinao asked them with a sparkle in her eye.</p><p>Sakura laughed.  “Wishing you were going yourself Kinao?”  She teased the older woman.</p><p>“Of course my dear!  It’s so romantic, the night fire, the twinkling lights!”  The older woman clasped her hands to her chest, turned and gave her husband Riki a fond look.</p><p>Riki raised his spatula to his wife and winked.</p><p>Sakura had always been envious of Kinao and Riki's evident affection for one another.  It was one of the reasons this was one of her favorite places to eat.  Seeing two people so in love was nothing short of inspiring.  She wanted that.  Carefully, she looked at Itachi, who had also been looking at Riki and his wife fondly.  She wondered, if he was thinking what she was…</p><p>“I think that is a delightful idea, Sakura?  Would you like to accompany me downtown Konoha to watch the Fall fire being lit?”  Itachi tugged on a lock of her hair playfully and winked at her like Riki had winked at Kinao.</p><p>“Um, yes, please.”  Sakura blushed.  She sounded like a lost school girl she chided herself.  </p><p>“Excellent!”  Kinao clapped her hands together.  “I’ll put your tea in some to go cups, it will help keep you warm.  It’s getting cold out there, pretty soon, it’ll be winter.”</p><p>Sakura watched the woman bustle off with their tea pot and smiled.  She felt a slight tugging at her fingers and looked down to where Itachi's hand twined their fingers together.  “It’s not that far.  You have a  thick coat on, shall we walk?”  He asked her.</p><p>“Oh, uh yes, that would be, nice.”  She ducked her head a bit but stopped when he lifted her chin and pressed his lips over hers.</p><p>“Oh!”  Kinao had returned cooing at them, her hand over her heart.  “It’s about time girl!  I thought you’d never find your prince!”</p><p>“Oh my gosh stop Kinao…”  Sakura moaned while Itachi chuckled.</p><p>“What wrong hime?  Am I not princely enough for you?”  He smirked as she turned beet red and began to sputter again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Last chapter for the weekend, most of you know the drill :)  Thank for reading!  Remember this one isn't serious, just fun writing, so if it doesn't always make sense, roll with it yeah!</p><p>Deidara:  Stop talking like me un!</p><p>Sasori:  Shut up, or she'll stop updating our fic!</p><p>Deidara:  Oh yeah.  You're so pretty yeah!</p><p>Me:  What was that fic I had planned to abandon?</p><p>Sasori:  Deidara, I'm going to turn you into a puppet.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Last one...I lied...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobirama stood beside his brother and his ‘Date’, watching the crowds of people swarm over the park pathways like locus during a plague.  He didn’t want to be here.  He had other things he would prefer to be doing right now, like going over the Konoha hospitals spending for the last six years, but his brother had insisted he come with him tonight.</p><p>Red eyes passed over his brother’s ‘Date’, he doubted Hashirama would even notice if he left, his hand was doing kami knew what, his tongue halfway down the woman’s throat no doubt...Tobirama inched away from his brother little by little, disgusted.</p><p>Scanning the crowds, he wondered, if Sakura was here tonight.  At lunch she had told Izuna that she may or may not have plans with Itachi Uchiha, recently returned to Konoha, like himself and had declined his invitation to join him to the festival.  She probably wouldn’t be here.</p><p>...unless she came with Itachi.  If she came with Itachi it would be a date then...wouldn’t it?</p><p>What did he care, he huffed into his cup of hot cider, crumbing his donut in his other hand, letting it fall to the ground at his feet.  He didn’t even want to be here, what did he care if she was here or not.  On a date or not…</p><p>Tobirama contemplated the other Uchiha.  They had met him coming out of the elevator as they had been coming into the building.  He had looked annoyed and Tobirama couldn’t help but smile thinking Sakura had rebuffed his advances yet again.  It worried him though.  Like his brother had said, Madara was not the kind of man to take no for an answer.</p><p>Hashirama had also told him not to worry, that Sakura could take care of herself.  Could she?  Against a man like Madara?  He wasn’t sure, but he was learning very quickly not to underestimate the woman.  The surgery he had the privilege to observe that afternoon had been nothing short of a miracle.</p><p>“We give her the hopeless cases.”  His brother had told him when she had tied the last suture into her patient’s chest, effectively ending the surgery and gaining a round of applause from all of those who had come to watch her work.</p><p>“She’s even better than Tsuna.”  Hashirama had said proudly, and a bit sadly.  “She’s a brain surgeon but we don’t keep her singular.”</p><p>Tsunade Senju, their cousin, had been shot and killed last year by an ER junkie.  The man had come into the ER, strung out and looking for more drugs.  Tsunade, bless her heart and denied him, but had also...tried to help him.  He had pulled a gun on her and had shot her in cold blood.  No one had been able to save her.</p><p>Hashirama confided in Tobi that Sakura may have been able to, if she had been available but she hadn’t been.  She had been out of town...collapsing in upon her guilt when she had returned to hear that her shisou had been murdered.</p><p>Izuna had picked her up from the hospital that night, worried that she wouldn’t make it home safely on her own.</p><p>Less than 24hrs later, the junkie that had killed Tsunade, had been found dead in a dumpster in the seedy part of Konoha.  An executioner’s shot to the head, clean, precise...a clear message.  Hashirama told Tobi that Sakura didn’t know but he wondered.  Did she, or did she just pretend...the woman wasn’t an idiot, clearly, but how good of an actress was she?</p><p>Itachi held Sakura’s hand as they walked along the wide path of the Konoha village park toward the fire pit in the middle.  The closer they got to the fire pit, the more crowded it became.  He liked how she had moved closer and closer to him the more people surrounded them.  Trust was a primal instinct, he was pleased to see she was beginning to trust him.  He wanted her to trust him.</p><p>“Would you like some hot cider Sakura or do you still have tea?”  He asked her as they approached a cider stall beside the fire.</p><p>“Cider sounds great!”  Sakura dropped her empty tea cup into a trash bin, taking Itachi’s from his hand and dropping it in after hers.</p><p>“I’ll be right back.”  Itachi squeezed her hand, dropping it at her side as he went to get them some cider.</p><p>Sakura watched the strings of lights overhead sway in the breeze.  It was cold and getting colder like Kinao had said.  Evening was turning to night as more and more people swarmed around her.  Uneasy at being alone in such a large crowd, Sakura began to moved back, toward the loose treeline where she could have her back against something more solid than air.</p><p>“Oh!”  She gasped and spun as she ran into something solid, but very much not a tree trunk.  </p><p>“Oh it’s you again, do you just follow me around now waiting for me to back up or something?”  Sakura put her hands on her hips and glared up into the red eyes of Tobirama Senju.</p><p>“Well, if you made that beeping sound like those wide load trucks did when you backed up, it wouldn’t be a problem.”  He quipped back easily.  He didn’t know why, but he was very pleased to see her again, even though she was being mouthy.</p><p>“You, you...is that a joke or something?  Are you calling me fat?”  She demanded, green eyes flashing dangerously.</p><p>“Not at all.”  Tobirama bowed to her with respect, surprising her and cutting off the snide retort she had on the tip of her tongue for him.  </p><p>“Are you here alone?"  He asked her, knowing full well she wasn’t, he had seen the Uchiha go get cider for them, had seen them walk into the park arm in arm.  “You said you weren’t dating anyone.”</p><p>“I’m not.”  Sakura began but was interrupted by Itachi who had returned with their cider.</p><p>“She is.”  He pulled her to his side, kissed her cheek and placed her cup of cider in her hand, his eyes never moving from Tobirama’s.  “Me.”</p><p>“Is she?”  Tobirama looked at Sakura whose mouth was opening and closing rapidly without a sound.</p><p>“Aren't you?”  Itachi looked down into Sakura’s eyes, a hint of a smile on his lips.</p><p>“Are we?”  She countered.</p><p>“If you like.”  He said simply.</p><p>“Okay.”  She nodded, then turned to Tobirama.  “I’m dating Itachi...apparently.”</p><p>“Congratulations.”  Tobirama bowed, turned and left them alone.</p><p>“Should I tell Sasuke our good news or shall we let Shisui do it?”  Itachi grinned into his cup of cider.</p><p>“You’re bad.”  Sakura began to laugh, her arm linked with Itachi’s.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I lied, this is the last quick update for the week end.</p><p>Deidara:  See she's a huge liar un!  She won't abandon our fic  Sasori my man!</p><p>Sasori:  I'm still turning you into a puppet.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I lied again. This is the last chapter until next weekend.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dark eyes followed Sakura and Itachi as they walked through the park, arm in arm, smiling, seemingly unaware that they were being watched.  “So, she’s moved on to the older one has she?”</p><p>“So it seems.”  Slate eyes watched the pink head bob slowly through the crowd.  Heard her tinkling laughter and imagined her green eyes dancing as she looked up into...someone else’s eyes.  His fists clenched and unclenched unconsciously at his side.</p><p>“Jealous Kakashi?”  Rin leaned away from Obito momentarily to tease her friend.  “I thought it was just a one night stand?  Isn’t that all you’re ever willing to give a woman?”</p><p>“It’s all he knows how to give Rin.”  Obito looked down at his friend crouched over the edge of the wall they were standing in front of.  “It doesn’t mean he didn’t want something...more, deserves more.”</p><p>“Then why did…”  Rin started to argue.</p><p>“Drop it.”  Kakashi growled, stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets, walking away.  He hadn’t wanted to come to this stupid festival anyway.  With Obito and Rin, he was a third wheel anyway.  Izuna had already found his partner for the night and had left them.  He had only come because...because Izuna said he would ask her to come with him...because he thought he might get to see her again, outside of the dojo.</p><p>...what had he been thinking...like she would want to see him again after what he had done.</p><p>Kakashi stood in the woods alone.  He hadn’t realized he had walked this far.  He sighed.  It was just as well, he should go home, feed Pakkun…</p><p>“They’ll be lighting the fire soon Sakura, would you like to start heading toward the podium?”  Itachi asked her, smiling down into her green eyes.</p><p>“Sure.”  Sakura smiled at Itachi.  She was having a good time but she wondered, had he been serious or had he just said that because…  “Hey Itachi?  Did you really mean what you said earlier about dating me, or was that just because um Tobirama was asking and…”</p><p>“You think I would want to date you only because someone else showed an interest in you?”  Itachi asked her, his perfect naturally shaped eyebrow rose at her in astonishment.</p><p>“No, that wasn’t what I meant, I just wanted to make sure this wasn’t a competition sort of things because um…”  Could she say it…</p><p>“...because?”  Itachi waited.  He wanted her to say it.</p><p>“I like you.”  Sakura blushed.  “It would be very disappointing to me if that had been said on a whim.”  She added quietly.</p><p>Itachi smiled.  “It wasn’t said on a whim.”  He kissed her.  Pulled her close into his arms and kissed her as Mayor Namikaze threw the match that lit the Fall Festival Fire behind them.</p><p>“Would you like to walk around some more or can I take you back to your house for some coffee?”  Itachi smirked as Sakura laughed, her eyes dancing in the firelight looking up into his deep obsidian.</p><p>“Take me back to my own house for coffee huh?”  Sakura shook her head back and forth, still smiling up at him.  “Is that your way of inviting yourself in after you take me home  Itachi Uchiha?”</p><p>Itachi smiled.  “Did it work?”</p><p>“Take me home and find out.”  Sakura wrinkled her nose up playfully and winked at him like he had winked at her in the cafe.</p><p>“Deal.”  Itachi grabbed her left hand and started pulling her out of the crowd back onto the city sidewalk that would take them back to the cafe and his car.</p><p>Sasuke stood beside his cousin and watched as his brother stole his girlfriend out from underneath his nose.</p><p>“Looks like someone is happy to see Itachi back in Konoha.”  Shisui murmured out of the corner of his mouth, his eyes darting back and forth between his cousins and Sakura.  “I knew I should have made it official with her before Itachi came home the little weasel.”</p><p>“What?”  Sasuke rounded on his older cousin, mouth creased in anger.  “What the hell does that mean, made it official with her?”</p><p>“Didn’t Sakura tell you Sasuke?”  Shisui grinned at his younger cousin.  “We started kinda fooling around after she ditched you, nothing serious just you know, comforting one another once in a while.  I wanted more but she said she wasn’t ready.  Looks like she’s ready now though.”</p><p>“I wonder if she’ll tell Itachi.”  Shisui hummed to himself as he walked away from Sasuke before he could explode and cause a scene.  The boy had always been hot headed.  It’s a wonder he had made it as a lawyer, but then again, Sasuke was only hot headed over things he actually cared about.  Sakura.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. First Date</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Clearly I can't stop lying.  It isn't the weekend yet but here is another installment.  Let's just say, I will update as the chapters come to me.  Some will be longer or shorter than others.</p><p>Thank you Akatsuko!  For the direction change!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobirama watched Itachi Uchiha pull Sakura by the hand out of the crowd by the fire after it had been lit.  Clearly they were leaving.  He would too.  He had no reason to stay, even less now that she was gone.</p><p>So, it had been a surprise to her, the Uchiha making it official, even to her.  He wondered...had they dated before?  Tobirama ran his hand through his spiky white hair and shook his head.  No, they couldn’t have, Itachi had just returned like he had, had been gone...for six years, like he had.</p><p>“A new relationship then with no foundation to stand on.”  He muttered to himself.  Sakura, he realized, didn’t know Itachi like he did, she wasn’t part of ‘that’ side of the Uchiha family...was she?</p><p>“What did you say Tobi?”  Hashirama lifted his head from his ‘Date’s’ face and looked at his brother curiously.</p><p>“Nothing.  I’m leaving.  I won’t expect you home until tomorrow.”  Tobirama wanted it made clear that he didn’t wish to see or hear from Hashirama or his date again that evening.</p><p>“Not to worry Tobi, we were going back to her house anyway.”  Hashirama grinned a devious smile at his younger brother who looked back at him with bland indifference.</p><p>“Do you even know her name?”  Tobirama rolled his eyes as he walked away, down the open street toward his car.  He didn’t need to wait for his brother’s answer, he already knew Hashirama didn’t know her name.</p><p>“What’s your name again?”  Tobirama heard his brother ask the woman before he had walked far enough away.</p><p>“Idiot.”  Tobirama muttered under his breath.  It probably wasn’t even her real name anyway.</p><p>Tobirama pulled open the door to his car a ways down the street, watched several couples walk past him before starting his engine, and pulled out of the public parking lot.  He would go back to the hospital for a few hours, start going over the past few years of financial records and see if he could find any sinkholes, basically look for negative trends in the spending.</p><p>As he turned left at the light he saw Sakura and Itachi.  He was holding the door open for her as she got into his car.  Tobirama hummed to himself when he noticed that the rear end of Itachi’s car was damaged.  It looked like someone had rear ended him, or perhaps he had backed into something.  He doubted that Itachi Uchiha had backed into something...unless it was on purpose.</p><p>He silently pitied the person who had rear ended the man.  Itachi was known for his...ruthlessness.</p><p>Tobirama looked in his rear view as he drove slowly down the street avoiding more park goers and regular weekend pedestrians along the crowded walkways.  Did she know?  Did Sakura know what kind of a man she was really dating?</p><p>He wondered.</p><p>Six years was a long time.  He wasn’t the same man he had been six years ago when he had left Konoha.  Hashirama said it had been a coincidence that they had left at the same time, but Tobirama didn’t believe in coincidences, he did believe in genius Uchiha who made things seem more than they were however.</p><p>It had been good for Tobirama to be sent away for a while.  It had helped calm him, made him into a more peaceful person.  He only hoped it had been the same for Itachi.  Perhaps they had both changed for the better.  He certainly thought he had changed for the better.  He had a new job, a new outlook on life, away from the Konoha underground.  Away from the blood and the crime.  Not everyone who got involved with the underground got to leave it so seamlessly as he did, as he hoped Itachi had, for Sakura’s sake.</p><p>It wasn’t his problem.  It wasn’t any of his business, like Hashirama had conveyed to him in the restaurant about Madara’s intentions toward the girl, woman, he corrected himself.  </p><p>If he stepped in, if he warned her or said anything it would seem like interference.  She already despised him.  If he told her that her new boyfriend had been the most dangerous, the most ruthless killer Konoha had ever seen since Madara Uchiha was active...she probably wouldn’t even believe him, and maybe he wasn’t anymore.</p><p>Sakura turned her key in her lock and pushed her front door open, stepped over the threshold, followed closely by Itachi.  </p><p>“I’ll put on some coffee.”  Sakura unbuttoned her jacket and threw it over the back of one of the chairs at her lunch bar.  “Make yourself at home Itachi, it will just be a moment.”</p><p>“Thanks.”  Itachi laid his coat over hers and moved into her living room.  He ran a finger over her books on her bookshelf, smiling when he came to a familiar row of icha icha novels.  He had heard that Sakura and Kakashi Hatake were good friends.  Clearly they shared an interest in icha icha.  He wondered, what else they might have in common.</p><p>His mother had told him the first year he had been gone that Sasuke’s friend had taken up lessons at Hatake’s new Martial Arts Academy, it was one of the reasons they had drifted apart, his mother claimed.  Sakura had asked Sasuke if he wanted to take lessons with her, but Sasuke had declined thinking she wouldn’t go if he didn’t join her.  </p><p>She had signed up for full time classes and had gone full time, cutting into their relationship time.  Sasuke still refused to go, so she had left him behind.</p><p>Itachi walked along the wall of Sakura’s livingroom slowly looking at the pictures lining the wall and set upon her entertainment center shelves.  He recognized the Mayor’s son Naruto, his little brother of course and his cousin...Shisui.  Shisui?  Why did Sakura have a picture of Shisui?</p><p>There was a picture of Sakura herself in a bathing suit, her arm around a blonde girl, clearly a Yamanaka.  Itachi smiled, they looked like they were having fun.  He moved down the row to see more pictures of his little brother and the pinkette, some old, some new.  Most of them were with friends, some just the two of them but they all seemed so...impersonal.</p><p>Until he came to the last one.  It was dim, the picture was barely visible as though someone had taken it in secret.  Sakura was turned away from the camera, facing Sasuke.  Sasuke was looking at Sakura with a look in his eyes that Itachi had never seen before.  Love...Itachi realized.  Sasuke was looking at her with love in his eyes.</p><p>“That’s the only picture that captured the real Sasuke.  He didn’t know your mother was taking it, or I wouldn’t have it.  He wouldn’t have wanted that captured I don’t think.”  Sakura said from behind him, startling him.</p><p>It happened in the blink of an eye.  The two coffee cups Sakura had been holding in her hands dropped to the ground as she brought her forearms up in front of her in an X to block Itachi’s palm thrust.</p><p>She dropped to her knees to avoid the blade he had pulled from around his back, rolled to the side and grabbed the gun she had placed behind her TV, panting...and pointing it at his head, the safety off.</p><p>Itachi smirked from his crouched position on her floor in front of her, knife at the ready and rose slowly to his feet.  His eyes watching hers.</p><p>“Not just a surgeon I see.”  Itachi cocked his head to the side.  “Just who are you Sakura Haruno, and does my mother know?”</p><p>“Wouldn’t you like to know, and why the hell do you think she wants me to marry into the family so badly...Itachi?”  Sakura smiled, her eyes crinkling in delight at his reaction time.  “You’re every bit as impressive as they say you are, Uchiha.”</p><p>“Good to know I’m still talked about.”  Itachi smoothed the front of his shirt back down.  “I can see now why you left Sasuke behind, clearly...you outgrew him...or perhaps, out rank him?”</p><p>Sakura threw her head back and laughed.  She was delighted.  With ease she placed her gun back behind her TV, bent down to retrieve their now empty coffee mugs.  “I’ll get us some more coffee shall I?”</p><p>“Please.  It’s a shame about the carpet though.”  Itachi pulled a napkin from the table nearby and began to dab at the stain.</p><p>“Coffee is easier to get out of carpet than blood is though.”  Sakura called from the kitchen.</p><p>“Don’t I know it.”  Itachi grinned, pleased with how their first date was going.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Using chapters as event breaks...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sakura sipped her coffee, her eyes watching Itachi watching her, as he sipped his own coffee.</p><p>“Does my mother know?”  He asked her, setting his cup down on her coffee table.  They had been rather silent after their last interaction.  Each wondering how to approach the other.  Each more careful, more cautious than they had been before.</p><p>“There is little that goes on around Mikoto that she isn’t aware of.”  Sakura smiled into her cup and continued to drink.  “Of course she knows.”</p><p>“That you know how to use a gun or that you keep one hidden behind your TV?”  Itachi clarified.</p><p>Sakura shrugged.  “Does it make a difference?”</p><p>His mother didn’t know.  Itachi relaxed into the couch, sharp eyes taking in the humour of Sakura’s green ones.</p><p>“Does Sasuke know?”  Itachi asked, changing directions.</p><p>“Of course not.  He still thinks we’re fifteen.”  Sakura smiled.  “Shisui knows.”</p><p>Itachi raised his dark brow at the woman.  “Why would he know?”</p><p>“It’s his gun.”  Sakura nodded to her TV.  “We used to be...close friends, he left it here one night and said I could keep it.”</p><p>“Close friends.”  Itachi’s lip twitched, his eyes darting to the photo of his cousin on her entertainment center.  “So you and Shisui were…”</p><p>“We never dated, it was more, comfort friends, just cuddling, kissing...we never had sex.  If that’s what you’re wondering.”  Sakura laughed.</p><p>“Good to know.”  Itachi picked his coffee cup up again, satisfied.</p><p>“If we had?”  Sakura asked.  “Had sex I mean, Shisui and I?”</p><p>“Then my time here would be done.”  Itachi inclined his head to her, holding her eyes with his own.  Did that bother her?</p><p>“I’m not a virgin.”  She continued to smile at him, interesting.  “If that’s what you were hoping for.”</p><p>“My brother?”  Itachi asked.  He had to know, it was important to him.</p><p>“No.”  Sakura said truthfully.  “Almost, but no.”</p><p>“Hn.”  Itachi cocked his head at the woman beside him on the couch.  He would have ended it there if she had slept with Sasuke.  Anyone else but Sasuke or Shisui, he could deal with, but not them.  “I’ve had two lovers.”</p><p>Sakura smiled.  “I’ve had one.”</p><p>Itachi nodded.  Good.  Just one. “Too busy to date?”</p><p>“No one of interest to invest my time into.”  She clarified.  She’d only ever loved one man.</p><p>It was a dance of words.  Learning, feeling each other out with blunt uninhibited truth.</p><p>“I’m not sleeping with you tonight.”  She told him.  </p><p>‘I’m not in love with you’, he understood.</p><p>“I should hope not.”  He moved across the couch to her, taking her hands in his.  “I’d be very disappointed if you did.”</p><p>‘I don’t just want sex from you’, She was pleased.</p><p>“Good.”  She set her coffee cup down on her coffee table, took his from his hand and set it next to hers.  “I would however, like to show you the bedroom.”</p><p>“I would love to see it.”  Itachi smiled rising from the couch with her and followed her down the hall.</p><p>Sasuke watched Sakura’s bedroom light turn on.  He watched her walk across her room to her window and draw the shade.  He clenched his fist when he saw his brother sit down on her bed before the shades were completely drawn...what the hell was she doing sleeping with Itachi on the first date...she hadn’t even slept with him and they had dated for two years!</p><p>“Satisfied?”  Shisui yawned and stretched his arms out over his head, his knuckles scraping against the roof of Sasuke’s car.  This was pointless.  It was only going to make the kid more upset seeing it first hand.</p><p>“What is she thinking, taking him home, taking him up to her room and...and…”  Sasuke could barely speak.</p><p>“Screwing his brains out?”  Shisui asked innocently.</p><p>Sasuke glared at him.</p><p>“Dude, you haven’t dated in six years.  What the hell did you think would happen?  That she would wait around for you forever?”  Shisui rolled his eyes at his younger cousin.  “Maybe you should have tried a little harder to keep her when you had her.”</p><p>“Shut the fuck up Shisui.”  Sasuke growled, opening the door to his car and jumping out.</p><p>Shisui opened his own door, slid across Sasuke's hood and grabbed his younger cousin around the middle.  “Whoa there kid, you can’t just go barging in there, you know your brother.  That’s the best way to get shot in the head, Sasuke.”</p><p>“Well I’m not going to wait out here all night for them to get done...you know!”  Sasuke waved a hand wildly at the bedroom, where someone had just turned the lights off.  “I’m going to call her.”</p><p>Shisui rubbed his face with both of his hands before plucking Sasuke’s phone from his fingers and sticking it down the front of his pants. “I’ll give it back to you in the morning.”</p><p>“You’re disgusting.”  Sasuke fumed.</p><p>“Yet effective!”  Shisui sang as he got back into the passenger seat of Sasuke’s car...adjusting himself and Sasuke’s phone.</p><p>“Please wash my phone before you give it back to me tomorrow.”  Sasuke cringed.</p><p>“Maybe.”  Shisui shut the passenger door and looked at Sasuke with a sympathetic look.  “Hey, you’re not the only odd man out here.  Think of your poor Uncle.”</p><p>“Shisui.”  Sasuke said quietly.</p><p>“Yeah?”  Shisui grinned.</p><p>“Shut the fuck up.”  Sasuke threw his car into drive and drove away from Sakura’s house, home toward the Uchiha compound.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Itachi’s eyes snapped open.  It was dark in the room and for a moment...he had forgotten where he was, who he was with.  Then he heard her, a small mewling sigh, a small soft hand passing over his chest.  Sakura.  </p><p>He was at Sakura’s house, in her bed with her.  Their date last night, the park, the fire...soft kisses and gentle caresses, then sleep...Sakura.  He closed his eyes.  It was dark in the room, but it was okay...he wasn’t alone.</p><p>His eyes snapped back open.  Shit.  He wasn’t alone.  He...had something to lose.  Suddenly her arm didn’t feel as reassuring, her breath on his neck didn’t feel warm and comforting.  It felt suffocating and...and...like a liability.  </p><p>What the hell had he been thinking doing this, being here, letting her...talking like…</p><p>“Sakura.”  Itachi kissed her forehead, pushing the covers back and off of his shoulders to his waist.</p><p>“Hum?”  Sakura’s eyes fluttered open, dazed with sleep.</p><p>“I’m sorry but I need to go.  I have to get a few things done this morning.  I’ll call you later okay?”  Itachi kissed her on the head again, moved her hand from his chest and slipped out of her bed.</p><p>“M’kay.”  Sakura rolled over in her bed, her eyes closing once more.  She was asleep again before her bedroom door clicked behind him.  He should have been reassured that she had trusted him enough to sleep beside him, that he trusted her enough to fall asleep beside her, but all it did was show him what a weakness she could be, was already starting to become.</p><p>He had fallen asleep with her.  He never slept in the presence of another, only Shisui whom he trusted with his life.  One might argue their familiar family connection was the cause but Itachi knew he would only be fooling himself.  This was dangerous, this was more than he had planned on.  She was so much more than he had planned.</p><p>Itachi pulled his shirt back on over his head and leaned his back up against the wall in her hallway.  What was he doing here...he didn’t deserve this, to bring her into this.  He had just wanted a date but she had turned out to be so much more than just a date she was...special and he...he was a bastard.</p><p>Itachi walked down the stairs, grabbed his coat from the chair at her lunch bar and locked the bottom lock of her front door before closing it behind him.  </p><p>Sakura woke up peacefully a few hours later, stretching her arms and legs out in her bed smiling to herself.  Turning her head to the side she frowned...oh.  “That’s right, he left.”</p><p>She could still smell him on her pillow, on her blanket when she brought it to her nose...Itachi.  Sakura smiled into her blanket.  She had such a wonderful date with him.  He was almost too good to be true.  He said he would call her, she couldn’t wait!</p><p>Throwing her feet over the side of her bed she reached for her phone and turned off the ‘Do not disturb’ and walked to her bathroom.  Her phone chimed twelve times before her hand reached the bathroom door knob.  </p><p>“What the heck?”  Sakura looked down at her phone.  Twelve text messages, four missed calls and three emails all from...Sasuke.  “What the hell is going on...no way, how the hell does he already know?”</p><p>She groaned, threw her phone back onto her bed and walked into her bathroom.  She needed a nice hot shower before she called him back.</p><p>Sakura stood in the middle of her room chewing her bottom lip twenty minutes later staring at her phone.  Her shower had been wonderful, however she really wasn’t looking forward to speaking with Sasuke, over the phone or in person.</p><p>Just as she was about to hit his picture on her phone to call him, a loud pounding on her front door had her groaning...was he was here, of course he was here.</p><p>“Always so fucking impatient.”  She grumbled looking at the time on her phone.  “It’s not even 9am!”</p><p>She threw her phone down on her bed and stomped downstairs.  If Sasuke thought he could come over after six years of being apart and yell at her about dating his brother, he had another thing coming to him.  She knew for a fact he had dated several women after her, he had absolutely no room to talk!</p><p>Of course...she didn’t have a sister for him to date so maybe...no, she stiffened her back, it didn’t matter.  Itachi was the first person she had dated in six years.  Shisui didn’t count.  She wasn’t going to let Sasuke ruin this for her!</p><p>“Sasuke, who the hell do you think you are…”  Her words died in her throat as she looked into the chest of Madara Uchiha., her eyes traveling up to his smirking mouth.</p><p>“A good morning to you too my dear.  I see you’ve anticipated my coming.”  Madara reached out and flicked the edge of her towel by her breast with a graceful finger.</p><p>“Ma Madara.”  Sakura stammered.  “What are you doing here?”</p><p>Madara continued to smirk and pushed his way past her into her home.  “You mean you don’t know?  Your innocence is so very attractive my dear Sakura.”</p><p>“Well, innocent might not be the best word for you.  Modest perhaps.”  He amended, his finger tracing the hickey on her neck.  “I hear Itachi spent the night with you my lovely.  I came to...have a little talk with you.  For my sister’s sake.  Shall we go to your bedroom?”</p><p>Madara had shucked his coat and was halfway up her stairs before she could even blink much less protest.</p><p>“Hey!  What do you think you’re doing, come back here Madara.  Why are you going into my bedroom?”  She raced up the stairs after him, pulling her towel back up around her chest to keep it from falling.</p><p>“Interesting.”  Madara took in the rumpled bedclothes and Itachi’s watch on Sakura’s night stand. </p><p> “He left in a hurry, just like I thought, even forgot his watch.  Mikoto wouldn’t be pleased.  She bought this for him, a special gift, when he had to leave Konoha six years ago my dear.  Tsk.”  Madara sat down on the end of Sakura’s bed, picked Itachi’s watch up in his hand and turned it over.</p><p>Sakura stepped forward to look at the watch.  There was an engraving on the back.  Shuffling a little closer she bent at the waist, hiked her towel up a bit more on the side and read, ‘Blood will out’.  “Well that’s a little…ack!”</p><p>Madara pulled Sakura to him, flipped her on her bed and pressed his mouth to hers, her towel falling to the floor.  “Did he satisfy you Sakura, my nephew, did it feel good to have him in your bed?”  He asked her in between bites and licks.</p><p>“Get off.”  Sakura gripped the edge of her bed, her other hand moving toward Madara’s throat.</p><p>“Is he better in bed than Sasuke or Shisui?  Yes, my dear, I know about you and Shisui.”  He taunted her.</p><p>Sakura stilled underneath him.  “You don’t know as much as you think you do Madara.”</p><p>“Did I hit a nerve dear?”  He smirked down at her, his eyes fixated on her breasts.  He licked his lips.  “I wonder, was it Sasuke or Shishui’s name that bothered you.”  He dropped his head to her neck and began to kiss her lower and lower.</p><p>“Itachi.”  Sakura looked up into dark obsidian.</p><p>Madara laughed.  “Itachi doesn’t know what he wants.  He left you before you even woke up I bet...didn’t he?”</p><p>“...but I came back.”  Itachi pulled Madara off of Sakura by the shoulder and flung him forcefully across the room, throwing Sakura her towel and stalking across the room to his Uncle.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>TADA!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“The hell with this.”  Sakura threw the towel to the floor and reached for her Tee shirt and panties.  “If there’s going to be a fight, I’m not fighting in a towel.”  She growled.</p><p>“Itachi.”  Madara narrowed his eyes at his nephew.  “How nice of you to join us.  We’re a bit busy however, so if you could come back later...I don’t mind having your seconds as long as I get some of…”</p><p>Itachi’s fist snapped out before Madara could finish his sentence hitting him in the chest.  Before Itachi’s left first had dropped to his belt his right fist shot out and caught his uncle on the side of the mouth, knocking his head forcefully into the wall making the man stagger backwards.</p><p>“Have you forgotten who I am Uncle?”  Itachi fisted the front of Madara’s shirt pulling him up to look him in the eyes.  “How dare you touch what you know is mine.”</p><p>Itachi pulled his gun from it’s harness and pressed the barrel up against his uncle’s cheek.  Something dark moved within Itach.  Something feral.   How dare Madara touch Sakura, how dare he try to force himself on her when she had lain with him, Itachi, mere hours prior...</p><p>“You don’t have the balls to pull that trigger you little…”  Madara glared at his nephew.</p><p>An archaic provication...Itachi smiled, then pistol whipped his uncle, dropping him to the floor.  The blood rushed through Itachi's veins. Adrenaline pumped through his blood. It had been so long since he had felt this rush...this need to...kill.</p><p>Itachi took a decisive step toward his uncle.  It was time for Madara to retire completely.  Itachi had come home to Konoha to take over for his uncle...what better way to solidify his position with the blood and death of the old family head.</p><p>“Itachi…”  Sakura was behind him, holding him by the elbows.  “What are you doing, he’s unconscious.!”</p><p>“So?”  Itachi stepped to the side displacing Sakura to the left and kicked his uncle hard in the ribs.</p><p>Sakura’s eyes went wide, they were broken, it didn’t take a doctor to know that sort of blunt force would break a rib...or a martial artist and Sakura was both.</p><p>“Itachi, stop, this is too much, you’re going to…”  She moved to the left out of Itachi’s way as his forearm struck out against Madara’s neck, knocking him to the floir once more.  A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of the man’s lips, but Itachi didn’t stop, he wasn’t going to stop...Sakura realized…</p><p>“You’re going to kill him.”  She moved fast, sure of her own feet, placed both of her arms on Itachi’s shoulders, jumped up into the air and pushed off the edge of her desk with both feet, propelling herself and Itachi halfway across the room away from Madara.</p><p>“Itachi, get ahold of yourself.  You don’t really want to kill your uncle do you?”  She tried to reason with him.  His eyes were blank, they weren’t even wild, or angry they were cold...so cold and blank...lifeless.  “You’re not even here are you?”  She asked him quietly.</p><p>“Itachi.”  Slowly, very slowly she approached him, speaking softly.  “Sasuke didn’t talk about you a lot while you were gone but…”</p><p>Itachi lunged forward gripping both of her wrists in his left hand, his knee came up, she blocked it with her right leg, spun and sent both of them staggering off to the left.</p><p>“Itachi, please.  I had a good time with you last night.  I want to go out with you again, maybe to the lake…”  Sakura started talking, saying anything to snap him out of...whatever he was in, whatever he was seeing...she knew, it wasn’t her.</p><p>“Itachi.”  She kept saying his name over and over with the start of a new sentence like they told you to when speaking to a patient with PTSD or some other war driven trauma.  It seemed to her, that was what she was dealing with here, that he had some sort of…</p><p>Itachi cocked his wrist, she saw the flash of the blade before it hit the wall where her head had been moments ago.</p><p>“Shit!”  Sakura knew she had to do something and fast.  He was more skilled than she was at hand to hand combat and apparently he had weapons on him, that she didn’t, being in a tee shirt and panties.</p><p>What had Kakashi told her...get them on the ground if you can’t fight them standing up…  Sakura dove and slid across the floor, the bare skin of her legs burned as the friction of her carpet seared her flesh.  Locking onto Itachi’s back she wrapped herself around him, locking his arms and legs down, calling out his name.</p><p>“Itachi please, it’s me, it’s Sakura, remember Sakura!”  She began to cry.  He was so much stronger than she was, she wouldn’t be able to hold him much longer.  Her eyes darted to her dresser, where she had a gun hidden underneath it.  She could reach it, but could she bring herself to shoot him?  If it had been Madara, she knew she could but Itachi…she didn't want to shoot Itachi if she could help it.</p><p>“Shit!  Shit!  Shit!”  Her arms were slipping under his struggle.  She was losing her grip.  She pushed him away with all of her strength and rolled, her hands shoved under her dresser, searching frantically, where was it!  Where was her gun!</p><p>Itachi pulled her up by her legs and threw her onto her bed, climbing on top of her, his hands around her neck, choking her.</p><p>“Ita.”  She gasped.  “Itachi.”</p><p>Her vision was blurring...with the last of her strength, she leaned back as far as her mattress allowed and headbutted him right in the center of the forehead.</p><p>“Fuck!”  Itachi’s eyes snapped shut, his ironclad fingers let go of her neck and she started to cough.  “Sakura?”</p><p>“You…”  Sakura gasped for breath.  “Fucking ass...hole...you almost...killed me, you dick!”  She drew her arm back then shot her fist forward into the side of his face.</p><p>His forearm came up and blocked it automatically.  Sakura hissed venomously.  </p><p>“I’m sorry!”  His eyes went wide.  This was exactly why he had wanted to distance himself from her.  He couldn't control himself around her.</p><p>“I won’t block the next one!”  He waved his hands back and forth in front of his face.  “Hit me again!”  He encouraged her.</p><p>“Itachi!”  She pointed at Madara’s still bleeding and unconscious form.  “Look what you did!”</p><p>“Hn.”  Itachi looked at his Uncle without remorse.</p><p>“Don’t ‘Hn’ me Uchiha, you almost killed him.”  She would have growled at him but her throat still hurt from when he had been choking her.</p><p>“You broke his ribs.”  She continued to look at him, he shrugged.</p><p>“He deserved it from what I can tell.  He was going to rape you.”  Itachi looked at her.  “Unless you wanted him to force you, do you like that sort of thing?”</p><p>“What!”  She couldn't believe this.  First he almost kills his uncle then he accuses her of...of…</p><p>“Oh, you do.  I guess I should go then.”  Itachi brushed his shirt down and ran his fingers through his long hair tying it back into the ponytail that had come undone in their fight.  He liked the idea of...well...he had already lost control in front of her once so…  “I’ll just uh…”</p><p>“You fucking prick.”  Sakura slapped him hard across the face with her right hand, raised her left to slap him again but he stopped her with a hard eye.</p><p>“I said once.  You could hit me once.”  He held her by the wrist and smiled. Kami the woman was fiesty, it was such a turn on and he could tell, she was just as turned on after that fight as he was.</p><p>“Fuck you Uchiha!”  Sakura spat in his face.</p><p>“That...was a mistake.”  Itachi smirked at her, pulled her to his chest, ran his hands up her braless bare back and ripped her shirt down the seams.  “You do like it rough don’t you?”</p><p>“No I don’t!  Don’t touch me asshole!”  Sakura pressed her thumb into solid muscle...where was his pressure point, Kakashi said that the pressure point was right there and…</p><p>“Pressure points don’t work on me Sakura.”  Itachi smiled at her as he picked her up and threw her onto her bed.</p><p>Sakura bounced off of her bed, turned and backed herself up against the wall, if she had a wall behind her maybe she could…</p><p>“That won’t work either beautiful.”  Itachi pinned her arms to the wall and bit her hard on the neck, his tongue shooting out to smooth over the bite mark as he rocked up against her.  “You’ve only slept with one person, huh?  Who was it?  Anyone I know?”</p><p>Sakura moaned...this was...too much, did she want this, want him to take her like this after he had...</p><p>He lifted her up, sliding her up the wall slightly tugging at his pants.  “You like this don’t you, strong women always say they don’t like being forced, but you like it, you want me to own you, don’t you Sakura?”</p><p>“Shut up!”  She blushed, she did want it, she did want him but like this...she had never done anything like this before and...part of her wanted to push him, to see how far she could…  </p><p>“Ughnnn!”  Her head fell back against the wall as two of his fingers slid past her pantiess up into her heat.</p><p>“Fuck.”  She groaned out around his hot mouth as his fingers twisted and pulled at her wetness.  “Itachi please, this is...too soon we should…”</p><p>“I don’t want to wait.”  He pulled his cock from his pants.  “...and I know you don’t either.”  He pushed his cock up against her wet sex.</p><p>“You’re so wet for me Sakura.  I knew you wanted me to own you.  I knew you wanted me to fuck you.”  </p><p>Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and moaned as he pulled her down over his cock hard.  “Shut the fuck up Itachi and just fuck me.”</p><p>Itachi smirked into her hair.  “Of course...Hime.”</p><p>Sakura’s phone began to ring from somewhere under her bed.</p><p>“Do you...want to...get that?”  Itachi asked as he thrust into her over and over, rocking her body up against the wall.</p><p>“Not right...now.”  Sakura panted into his neck...fuck he felt so damn fucking good it almost hurt.</p><p>Sakura’s phone stopped ringing then immediately started to ring again.</p><p>“Are you...sure?”  Itachi moved her to the left and adjusted their height.  “Someone...really wants...to talk to...you.”</p><p>“They can die...for all I care...right now.”  Sakura could feel her breasts rubbing up against his shirt and growled.  Pain ripped through her throat where Itachi had choked her but she didn’t care.  “Take your shirt...off.”</p><p>He reached over his shoulder and pulled his shirt from his back, throwing it to the floor.  </p><p>“Bed, now...on your knees or…”  He lifted her from the wall, still joined at the waist and set her on the bed.  “Turn over and..yes, that’s it.”</p><p>Bending over the end of her bed, her toes barely touching the floor Itachi slid back into her, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her hips as he pulled her to him hard and fast.</p><p>“Fuck you feel so good, how long has it been Sakura, since you’ve been fucked like this?”  He asked her, he was so close, so close but he wanted her to come first.  "Have you ever been fucked like this?"</p><p>“Too long, shut up and keep going damn it, I’m almost...ughnnn fuck Itachi, don’t stop...please.”  She almost begged.</p><p>Itachi smiled...she was perfect, so fucking perfect.  He couldn’t hold it in any longer.  “I hope you’re close cause I'm about to ughnnn.”  He came inside of her making her come with him.</p><p>“Beautiful, so beautiful.”  Itachi panted, falling on top of Sakura, his fingers trailing down her sides, his shrinking cock still pulsating inside of her.  “You’re so beautiful Sakura."</p><p>“Isn’t she just?”  Shisui grinned from Sakura’s bedroom door.  “Makes it hard to give her away, of course we never slept together...not sex at least.”  Shisui walked into the room casually looking around.</p><p>“What do we have here?”  Shisui leaned over Madara.  “Tsk.  Itachi, you could have at least waited until your uncle left to do your new girlfriend you know.”</p><p>Sakura stared at Shisui open mouthed.  Itachi rolled his eyes, pulled out of Sakura and tied his pants back up around his waist, pulling the blankets from Sakura’s bed and covering her.</p><p>“I know you’ve probably already seen one another naked but, it’s different now.  You belong to me now.  Shisui, help me get Madara to his car.”  Itachi kissed Sakura on the head.  “I’ll be right back beautiful.”</p><p>“Yeah, see you soon ‘beautiful’.”  Shisui laughed, winked at Sakura, then bent over to pick up Madara’s legs while Itachi picked up his arms.</p><p>“Oh uh, Sasuke’s on his way over.  He tried to call but you were...busy.”  Shisui laughed all the way down Sakura’s stairs...Madara Uchiha swung unconscious between Itachi and him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>That's right...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a sharp pain in his head but it was nothing to the excruciating pain in his side.  Ah, he groaned softly to himself, yes…Itachi the weasel…had kicked him in the side and had broken at least two of his ribs.  Madara knew what broken ribs felt like, having broken several…repeatedly over the years.  However, having Itachi break them for him, seemed much more…personal and much more brutal.</p><p>Sakura, the little minx…has found herself a worthy Uchiha.  Madara leaned his head back against his headboard, his eyes closed.  He was in his bed.  “How nice of Itachi to bring me home.”</p><p>“Shisui helped.”  Mikoto’s voice broke through the aching pain in the side of his head and jaw.</p><p>“Mikoto.”  Madara opened his eyes warily.  He would much prefer to be hit in the face by Itachi again than deal with his sister right now.  Hell, the boy could break two more of his ribs for all he cared.  Anything was better than telling Mikoto he got beat up by Itachi…for trying to force himself on Sakura.</p><p>“Shisui tells me that Itachi spent the night with Sakura last night and that you…paid her a visit shortly after he left, only for Itachi to return to find you…being less than a gentleman to my girl.”  Mikoto’s voice was cold.</p><p>“I went to speak with her actually and she answered her front door in nothing but a towel.”  Madara shrugged.  “What’s a hot-blooded male to do Mikoto?  I didn’t go there to rape her you know, it just...happened.  Can you blame me?  ”</p><p>Mikoto narrowed her eyes at her brother.  “I can and I do.”</p><p>“Fortunately,…”  Mikoto rose from the chair she had been sitting in across the room from her brother.  “…Itachi came back and subdued you sufficiently.  You know Madara…”  Mikoto bent over the bed and her brother, pressing her fingers into his broken ribs making him grunt and sweat with pain.</p><p>“You’re lucky you’re not dead.  I know my son, Itachi would have killed you.  I suspect…you have Sakura to thank for your worthless life…brother.”  Mikoto released her fingers allowing Madara to sigh in relief.  “You would do well to remember that Madara.”</p><p>Mikoto smiled sweetly at her older brother.  “Father gave me head of the family on his deathbed Madara, not you.  You might be the icon, the pretty face, but we all know who runs the family.  I do.  If you touch my girl again without her permission…I’ll kill you myself.  I already told you, she’s not for you.”</p><p>Mikoto’s dark eyes flashed a wicked black.  “Get some rest Madara.  The family is expected at the Annual Winter ball and I don’t want to disappoint Mayor Namikaze and his son.  They will be expecting you and I expect you to attend.  Broken ribs, broken neck or broken dreams notwithstanding.”</p><p>Itachi pushed Sakura’s front door open without knocking.  It was unlocked.  He really needed to have a conversation with her about that…anyone could walk into her home…like Shisui had, like he had earlier when Madara had been…Madara, damn the man.</p><p>“Sakura.”  Itachi called out to her before coming to stop in front of her bedroom door.</p><p>“Hey.”  Sakura smiled at him as she pulled the last of her sheets from her bed and pressed them into the carpet to soak up as much of Madara’s blood as she could.  “Remember last night how we were saying coffee was easier to get out of carpet than blood?”  She giggled as he came into the room, bent over and helped her scrub at the floor with her bedsheets.</p><p>“Sorry about this.  I lost control.  With Madara and…with you.”  He looked up into her startled green eyes.</p><p>“I’m not sorry Itachi.”  She laid a hand on his arm where he was scrubbing, stilling his movements so she could take both of his hands in hers.  “Do you regret having sex with me?”</p><p>“What?  No, I’m just…I would have liked for our first time to be more…gentle and more loving.”  He watched her eyes sparkle.  She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.</p><p>“I think it was perfect.”  Sakura laughed.  “A kind of perfect I didn’t know I wanted.”</p><p>Itachi cocked his head to the side and considered her words.  “You’re perfect.  It was perfect I just…some women are more, like to be more…”</p><p>“I’m not like most women Itachi.”  Sakura took the soiled bedsheets from him and started for the stairs, he followed.</p><p>“I’m beginning to realize that.”  They walked down the stairs into her laundry room.  “I’m glad.”</p><p>Sakura put the sheets in her washing machine, added soap, then started her washer.  She turned to face Itachi, her hands resting against her back, up against the face of the washer.  “You know, that’s why Sasuke and I drifted apart.  I changed, was changing and he…wasn’t.  I don’t think he wanted to change.  He had it pretty good in school, unlike me.  I wanted to be more, to be better than I was.”  She paused and smiled into Itachi’s eyes.</p><p>“I wanted to be everything I knew I could be.”  She nodded as though to herself.  “The only one that was holding me back from that, was me.”  She laughed again.</p><p>“I almost pity my little brother.  He had you and never realized how incredible you were did he?”  He asked her and she shrugged.  Itachi followed her out of her laundry room into the kitchen.  “He notices now.”</p><p>“I know but, like you said…I out grew him, not outrank him by the way.  I’m not part of your family that way.”  Sakura pulled two mugs from her cupboard and set them on the counter.</p><p>“You know of it though.”  He wasn’t asking, he could tell by her tone.</p><p>“I’m not an idiot.  I have two eyes, ears and a good working brain.”  Sakura smirked at him as she poured water into the heater.  “It’s none of my business.”</p><p>“What if…”  Itachi hesitated.  “What if it was your business?”</p><p>Sakura looked up to meet his eyes.  “Itachi Uchiha, are you asking me to marry you?”  She joked.</p><p>“Maybe.”  He said seriously making her raise both of her eyebrows at him. </p><p>“Okay.”  Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck.  “I’ll marry you.”</p><p>Sakura’s phone began to ring.  She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and looked down at the screen.  “It’s Sasuke.  Here.”</p><p>She handed Itachi her phone.  “You can tell him.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I thought of making it longer, but it was really ever only supposed to be a one shot :)  Thanks for reading guys!</p><p>I'm going to make it longer and edit this last chapter...eventually</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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